Daily Times

PARIS: Hatem Ben Arfa’s future at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) looks increasingly doubtful as coach Unai Emery ignored the French winger again.

This is the third consecutive game that Emery has not selected the summer signing. The Spanish coach justified his pick by saying it was a “purely sporting decision”.

Ben Arfa, 29, already missed out on the 1-1 draw with Arsenal in the Champions league and the 6-0 league thrashing of Caen last week.

“I’m preparing the team that I think is the best to play the match,” Emery said.

Emery, who had explained earlier this month that Ben Arfa needed to “work more”, said “He (Ben Arfa) is a player like others and I think that the players in the squad today are those who are best prepared for tomorrow’s game.”

Victory for PSG would put them back on top of the league.

Monaco followed up their shock 2-1 win over Tottenham in the Champions League last week with a 3-0 defeat of Rennes, which puts them top of the Ligue 1 table with 13 points.

A double from Thomas Lemar and a towering header by Radamel Falcao – the Colombian’s first goal for his club since August 2014 – helped them secure the victory.