Paris St Germain defender Marquinhos will miss Sunday’s Ligue 1 home clash against St Etienne after sustaining a thigh injury, manager Luis Enrique said.
The 30-year-old Brazilian has played all of PSG’s six Champions League fixtures as well as 13 of their 16 league games.
The club confirmed earlier on Saturday that skipper Marquinhos is still suffering from discomfort in his adductor due to an injury sustained during their 1-0 French Super Cup win over AS Monaco last week in Qatar.
“Marquinhos will not be able to play,” Luis Enrique told reporters on Saturday.
PSG face a busy run of six fixtures in January, including tough clashes against VfB Stuttgart away and Manchester City at home in the Champions League. They face Lens and Reims in Ligue 1 after St Etienne.
The Parisians are 25th in the Champions League table, outside the playoff spots, after picking up just seven points from six games.
“The six matches in January, it’s tough for all competitions, if we don’t win, we will be eliminated. I always think the opposite,” the Spanish coach said.
“I see a team that’s very good in competing, why should I be negative? More positive (thoughts) for me and the team (as well) to face everything with a positive mindset.
“There are matches where motivation isn’t necessary. When you play a Champions League match, it’s easy. Right now, I can say we are in the best moment of the season, I am starting to see that there are many players who can be starters.”
PSG signed winger Marco Asensio from Real Madrid last season, but the 28-year-old has not featured in five of their last six matches.
Asked if Asensio was leaving in the January transfer window given his lack of playing time, Luis Enrique said: “My decisions speak louder than I do. I make decisions based on what I see in training. (But) no situation is irreversible.”
Luis Enrique’s side are on a streak of five straight wins across all competitions, and the coach said his squad was brimming with quality.
“This means there’s a lot of competition (in the squad). For a coach, it’s very positive. Whether this is reflected in the results or not, we’ll see, but I’m very happy with what I’ve seen in recent weeks,” he added.
