Three games gone before the season even settles
The disciplinary panel didn’t hang about. Nuno Mendes has been handed a straight three-match ban. The Portuguese full-back was sent off at the death in the Champions Trophy after an elbow on Michal Skoras. PSG lost 1-0 to RC Lens that night.
The timing could hardly be worse. Paris start their Ligue 1 campaign without their first-choice left-sided defender, and he will sit out the opening three league games. The clock starts ticking on Sunday in Rennes, kick-off at 20:45, in a fixture already turned upside down by the LFP’s decision to switch the schedule.
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No row, no campaign, no excuses from the PSG boss
Asked about it on Saturday, on the eve of the trip to Brittany, Luis Enrique wasn’t interested in a fight. He brushed aside any debate over how harsh the call was.
“Nuno Mendes, whether the suspension is fair or not, it doesn’t change anything. We have to accept it. There will be provocations, and you have to know how to deal with that,” the Spaniard said. Two messages in one. Nothing for the press to chew on, and a reminder to his player about keeping his head.
Joao Neves is fit, which changes the maths a little
There was better news elsewhere. Joao Neves is available. The Portuguese midfielder was rested against Lens as a precaution. “Joao Neves is ready. He had a small issue, and we decided not to take any risks against Lens,” the coach explained.
That still leaves a hole down the left for the next month. Minutes to spread around, a makeshift solution to find, and a league start Paris cannot afford to botch after the Champions Trophy setback.
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