Dijon vs PSG - Lowly Dijon ‘have nothing to lose’ against Thomas Tuchel’s PSG

Dijon centre-back Senou Coulibaly says his side “have nothing to lose” when they host Ligue 1 leaders Paris St Germain on Friday.

Dijon sit last in the table, 18 points behind Thomas Tuchel’s reigning champions.

Stephane Jobard’s squad have not beaten PSG in nine encounters since they were first promoted to the French top flight in 2011, scoring just three goals and conceding 31 in the process.

“It will be a good match to play. We will be able to gauge ourselves against high-class players, we have nothing to lose,” said Coulibaly, according to Dijon’s Twitter feed.

“They are still human. Like all teams, they have some flaws. This kind of match must galvanise us.”

Jobard will be without midfielder Jordan Marie and centre-back Nayef Aguerd, with both players sidelined due to injury.

“Marie and Aguerd continue their rehabilitation,” he said.

“Mickael Alphonse and Enzo Loiodice are injured and will be absent.”

Jobard is hoping his team will not make the mistake other Ligue 1 teams have against PSG this season.

“Some teams have tried to play from behind and this was not necessarily a success,” he said.

“We must keep a balance.”

PSG have felt no ill effects from the absence of Neymar, who suffered a hamstring injury whilst representing Brazil during the last international break.

Impressive performances from Mauro Icardi, Kylian Mbappe and Angel Di Maria has seen Tuchel’s squad win all three games since, scoring 13 goals in the process.

Tuchel was singing the praises of Mbappe ahead of the Dijon fixture.

“My relationship with Kylian Mbappe is top. He is a boy who always has a smile,” he said according to his club’s Twitter feed.

“He is so talented, I push him so that he can be even better.

“He does extraordinary things, he is fantastic.”

Despite a commanding 4-0 victory over Marseille extending the team’s unbeaten run to six games, Tuchel was reluctant to consider the Dijon clash a foregone conclusion.

“Dijon are last in the standings, but not in terms of their statistics,” he said according to his club’s website.

“So we have to prepare for this match very seriously. We will have to work very hard. That’s the most important thing.

“After the international break, we have played and won three matches. We must keep going, and not think that this is first versus last. It’s not that simple, it’s a Ligue 1 game. You’ll have to play with intensity.”

Italian midfielder Marco Verratti is doubtful after suffering a knock to his right calf muscle during the Marseille game on Sunday.

Verratti, who has just extended his contract with the club by four years, will continue to receive treatment ahead of the fixture.

Fellow midfielder Ander Herrera strained his right ankle in Sunday’s match and will be assessed ahead of the game.

Idrissa Gueye returned to full training on Monday while Thomas Meunier is not expected to rejoin until the next international break.