Thomas Tuchel: 'I expect a very intense match'

THE SQUAD
"Layvin Kurzawa is ill, Ander Herrera and Thilo Kehrer are both injured. Neymar Jr isn't available either. He started training with the squad today, but finished with an individual programme. Nothing has changed regarding Ney; he's still my player, and when I think of a strong Paris Saint-Germain team, I think of a team with a Neymar Jr with a good attitude, free, who makes lots of aggressive runs and dribbles and plays at his best level for 90 minutes. As for Presnel Kimpembe, he's had a good week of training, but it's too soon for him to play at Rennes. So we're going to wait until next week to bring him back into the team."

RENNES...AGAIN!
"Yes, we're going to face Rennes again. Two weeks ago in Shenzhen, it was a tough game against a disciplined and brave Rennes teams. I'm convinced that after this Trophée des Champions, Rennes are going to want to start well at home. There will be a lot of emotion: Rennes will play in front of their fans, at 21:00, against Paris Saint-Germain. So it's a challenge for us, I expect a very intense performance from us, even if it's never easy to control the match against these opponents. We'll have to take this opportunity to improve ourselves."

IDRISSA GUEYE
"Idrissa has settled in more easily because he speaks both French and English. He's a very polite, very humble player, so that also helps. He has to adapt to our style, get used to the exercises every day in training to absorb our principles. He's very attentive, but it's a little early to bring him into the team, even if he'll travel with us to Rennes. Idrissa can play as a number 6, but also as a number 8. He's principally a defensive midfielder, he wins back possession, closes down the space, helps the team. That's his profile and that's what we expect from him."

ABDOU DIALLO'S START
"I'm happy with what he's done since he arrived. He has had to adapt to a new squad in the dressing room and on the pitch. Against Nîmes last weekend, he started the game and it puts a bit more pressure on you to play at the Parc des Princes with that shirt on your back. Abdou is very ambitious. He has shown a lot of quality in training, a good attitude too, I like that. He wants to improve, progress, and is very open to discussions and explanations, especially using the video. I'm very happy with him."

MARQUINHOS' POSITION
"I think Marqui is now used to playing a defensive midfield role. He feels at ease in that position. He's gained in confidence in that role. At the start, he only imagined himself in central defence, but now, he likes playing there. As a number 6, he can have a permanent influence on the game, and we can see his incredible potential. Whether he plays in central defence or a little further up the pitch, it's the same thing: Marqui has no limits, he plays at the highest level possible. Marqui is so valuable in running a lot, winning aerial challenges, and coming back to cover. We can also count on the quality transmissions of Leandro Paredes, who accelerates the game. And we're waiting to bring in Idrissa Gueye, and he'll become an important player in the middle of the park."

DI MARIA, A MATCHTURNER
"Angel can still improve, but it'll be difficult given how he's playing already [smiles]. We're going to do everything for him to feel good, to be in form, so that he's the same Angel as last season, that is to say an excellent player, always reliable. He didn't start the Trophée des Champions or against Nîmes, but he's scored each time he's come off the bench, important goals too. I'm careful and I won't take any risk with Angel, so it's not certain he'll start against Rennes."

THE WEEK'S WORK
"It was difficult this week as a lot of players came back into the team at different times. So it wasn't simple to find the right balance, but we still decided to have a double training session on Wednesday. The squad was a little tired, but that's normal at this stage of the season as the preparation phase is still going on. On Saturday, we put a lot of intensity into training, which was necessary just before going to Roazhon Park. We're convinced we can meet the challenge. We'll continue working hard till the end of August to build our endurance."