Football
Jonathan Johnson, PSG correspondent 7y

Thiago Silva and Layvin Kurzawa could miss PSG game against Dijon

PARIS -- Paris Saint-Germain captain Thiago Silva and left-back Layvin Kurzawa are both likely to miss Saturday's trip to Dijon, coach Unai Emery has said.

However, Marco Verratti, Angel Di Maria and Edinson Cavani could all feature, while Javier Pastore may make his return after an injury layoff.

Silva was injured while on international duty with Brazil but although he might not be ready to face Dijon, Emery expects him to be ready to play against Anderlecht in the Champions League next week.

Speaking at his prematch news conference, he said: "Thiago spent the morning at the training centre. His injury is not thought to be too severe but he might not be in the squad for Saturday's match."

Kurzawa took a knock to the knee before France's World Cup qualifiers, but Emery also expects him to return in time to travel to Belgium.

"He has done some running," he said. "We believe he will be ready for the Champions League match."

Emery expects both Di Maria and Cavani to be ready to travel with the squad to the Stade Gaston-Gerard after their involvement in South American qualifiers.

"Angel's qualification [for the World Cup with Argentina] was beautiful," he added. "I think he is fine -- we will see later. The doctor told me that he is normal.

"Edinson at the tip of the attack this weekend? We have a lot of versatile attacking players. We will see how he is. Generally, he recovers quickly.

"If a player is not 100 percent ready, we will look to somebody else. It could be Kylian [Mbappe] or another player."

Pastore has not featured for PSG or Argentina since suffering an injury in a World Cup qualifier against Venezuela last month.

But he is now back in training and Emery said: "Yesterday he completed a full training session. We want him to keep making progress and to leave this injury behind him.

"The most important thing is that he finds some consistency. His best position? Close to the opponents' penalty area, where he can provide the final pass, do something individual or collective."

Verratti did not join the Italy squad over the international break but instead stayed in Paris to focus on his return to fitness.

"Marco is a very important player," Emery said. "We will handle him in a way that enables him to give his best for the team.

"The international break has enabled him to work in peace. Yesterday, he completed half a training session. Today, he needs to finish an entire one. I think he will be available to face Dijon."

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