Nuno Mendes, five more PSG players ruled out for game at Angers

PSG will face Ligue 1 bottom-dwellers Angers on Friday and they received good news earlier this week when Marco Verratti returned to training sessions with the rest of the Paris Saint-Germain group.

The news popping up on Wednesday wasn't as encouraging, though, and the worst possible outcome was confirmed by Christophe Galtier at his pre-match press conference on Thursday.

Galtier confirmed that Portugal international and PSG left-back Nuno Mendes will forfeit Friday's game against Angers and won't make the trip to the stadium of the bottom dwellers.

No risks will be taken with Nuno Mendes according to Galtier. The defender is suffering from muscular pain since the victory against Lens last weekend and he will not make the trip to Angers with the rest of the team.

Spared since the beginning of the week, Mendes was back at the collective training on Thursday morning, but he was not deemed fit enough to play Friday.

“Our squad is still weak even if we benefit from the return of Marco Verratti from injury," Galtier said. "We will have the absence of Nuno Mendes, who did the session although didn't feel quite good. We will opt to take precautionary measures in relation to this bad feeling on a muscular level."

Juan Bernat has made the gameday squad and is expected to start Friday on the left side of the defensive line deployed by Galtier and PSG to face Angers on the road.

The news also made it possible for the youngster and Academy product Serif Nhaga (17 years old) to make his first gameday squad with the senior squad.

Paris, on the other hand, will still be deprived of Neymar, Presnel Kimpembe, Nordi Mukiele (all three with season-ending injuries), as well as Renato Sanches (right adductor, out for a few weeks), and Timothee Pembele (out for a few days).