Ibrahimovic and Pastore out of PSG clash

Laurent Blanc has confirmed neither Zlatan Ibrahimovic nor Javier Pastore will be in Paris Saint-Germain’s squad for Friday’s visit of Bordeaux in Ligue 1.

The French champions are seeking to make it five league wins from five this season but have seen Sweden striker Ibrahimovic return fatigued from international duty while Pastore continues to struggle with a calf problem.

Blanc explained he had no concerns over Ibrahimovic’s general fitness, with PSG’s UEFA Champions League opener against Malmo coming up on Tuesday.

“I have no concern about [Ibrahimovic’s] physical shape [but] he is not in the best of conditions,” explained the Frenchman on Thursday.

“He could play tomorrow but he will not play tomorrow. We decided to leave him to rest so he is in top form for the Champions League.”

Pastore was withdrawn 10 minutes into PSG’s 1-0 win over Montpellier last month and is yet to fully recover.

“Pastore will not be with the group tomorrow. He has trained well [over the international break] and he has needed it,” added Blanc.

“He had two small injuries around the calf. He needs to work and to complete the sessions he is missing.

“To express himself best, he needs to be in a very good state.”