Paris Saint-Germain captain Thiago Silva misses Nice game as manager Laurent Blanc copes with selection crisis

• Paris Saint-Germain captain Thiago Silva suffered a thigh injury on Wednesday
• Brazilian defender had to substituted against Barcelona in Champions League
• He is recovering at home and is among a list of absentees for game at Nice 

Paris Saint-Germain face Nice on Saturday, hoping to take Ligue 1's top spot from Lyon but do so with a host of key stars missing, including captain Thiago Silva who is recuperating at home from a thigh injury.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Marco Verratti and Thiago Motta all join Silva on the sidelines for the trip to the Mediterranean coast, while David Luiz is still not fully fit as he recovers from a thigh problem, although he is still set to start.

Silva was pictured nursing his problem at home ahead of the game, with a full diagnosis yet to be completed by PSG's medical team. 

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Thiago Silva who is recuperating at home from a thigh injury and will miss Paris Saint-Germain's game at Nice

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Silva was substituted in the defeat by Barcelona in midweek and the injury is still keeping him out

WHAT IS GAME READY? 

'Game Ready', as seen being used by Thiago Silva, is a cold therapy compression system used to treat sports injuries.

It circulates cold water around the injury, cooling it down with the aim to bring players back from injury as soon as possible.

He posted an update on Instagram, writing: 'Guys, I'm here to thank you all for your prayers!

'Yesterday I had the tests and the injury was very small, otherwise I could have been out for five or six weeks!

'I'm already in treatment to come back soon. Remember, no prayer will be unanswered.'

PSG coach Laurent Blanc said on Friday: 'Thiago Silva is out for Nice even if his injury is not as bad as first feared.'

The game against Nice comes more than 24 hours before league leaders Lyon face a tough task at home against fifth-place St Etienne.

A win in south east France would put the French champions a point clear of their closest rivals. Lyon could take back top spot on Sunday but Blanc's side will have a game in hand at the close of the weekend.

'It is not easy to prepare for this match,' Blanc said. 'We must turn in up in

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Laurent Blanc said that Silva's injury is not as bad as first feared, and that was confirmed by the Brazilian

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David Luiz may be forced to again return early from injury to cope with the loss of his countryman Silva

With six games of the season to go for most sides, PSG are favourites for to retain their crown with Lyon and Monaco now the only realistic competitors after Marseille lost 1-0 at Nantes on Friday night.

Serge Gakpe took advantage of an early defensive mix-up by the previous Ligue 1 pacesetters to take all three points for Nantes, and Marseille coach Marcelo Bielsa ruled out any hopes of the title after the game.

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Marseille coach Marcelo Bielsa ruled out any hopes of the title after his side lost 1-0 away at Nantes on Friday

'A team that loses three consecutive matches in the closing stages of the championship cannot hope to win the title,' he said.

'Our play as a team wasn't good enough and it is purely the coach's responsibility.We played poorly on an individual level too. We could have won but we played negatively and without fluency.'