SOCCER/Uefa Cup First round, first leg/Derry City v Paris St Germain: Derry City's preparations for this evening's Uefa Cup tie against Paris St Germain received an unlikely jolt yesterday when the French side arrived in the north west without a couple of their best players who, it seems, have been deemed ill-suited to the physical battle the visiting team's coach, Guy Lacombe, is expecting at the Brandywell.

French international Vikash Dhorasoo and midfield team-mate Edouard Cisse have been "rested" by Lacombe ahead of Sunday's league game at Monaco. However, the feeling at PSG's press conference last night was that the pair's lack of effort against Marseilles at the weekend had persuaded Lacombe to omit them because they were unlikely to produce the required workrate in a game in which the Parisians look at least a little vulnerable.

The news clearly surprised Derry manager Stephen Kenny who seemed a little unsure as to whether delight or dismay was the most appropriate reaction. Lacombe travelled to Dublin a couple of weeks back to see Derry play Shelbourne in what Kenny concedes was a gritty enough cup tie and there is a sense in Derry the visitors might just be reading a little bit too much into City's performance that evening.

The prospect that Lacombe might underestimate the home side's ability to play a slightly more cultured game might be expected to boost morale in the Derry camp. But there is a downside too, for Kenny will have based his own side's preparations on the expectation that PSG would field their best side rather than just their strongest side.

Given that the team was built around the midfield pairing on Sunday when Kenny watched PSG lose 3-1 at home to Marseille, some tinkering with the game- plan may now be necessary.

PSG were already without two other established stars for this evening's game with Jerome Rothen and Bernard Mendy missing due to injury and suspension, respectively. The hosts have everyone available but the French start the game as odds-on favourites with the bookies. After a poor start to their domestic season, however, there is clearly a little nervousness within the club itself and Lacombe is expected by many to lose his job if he fails to progress to the group stages of the competition.

"For PSG not to be in the group stages in a European competition would be unthinkable," observed Kenny yesterday, "they're the biggest club in France with a lot of international stars so of course they'll be expected to beat us.

"They have the ability to beat us but we're confident too that on our day we have the potential to beat anybody at the Brandywell.

"People outside of League of Ireland circles might ridicule the idea that an Irish team could be in the group stages of a European competition but the way we look at it is that we're one round away, we're playing in Derry and we know what we're capable of."

The venue for the game is of particular importance to Kenny. Having decided not to move the game to Dublin and resist the temptation of a financial windfall City, he says, came under considerable pressure to switch. PSG admit to pushing for the move and Uefa made noises about ordering one. But the Derry board stood their ground and so the French side have been obliged to rough it in what they apparently consider to be the sticks. "There was pressure from Uefa all right and there was a feeling here that there was an element of condescension about it," said Kenny. "That we should have to move and shouldn't even have a say about it but the club was determined to go ahead with it and I'm delighted that the game will go ahead here.

"Of course, it is an indictment of the authorities up here that the game is going to take place in a ground that can only seat 3,400 people," he added. "They say Derry is the second city up here but it feels more like fifth with Belfast first, second, third and fourth."

Kenny's irritation extended to the domestic football authorities as well with the Dubliner criticising the decision to make them proceed with the League Cup final against Shelbourne on Monday, a game that will, after tonight, be Derry's second of at least 16 outings in 65 days.

"It seems we're being made to pay for our success," he said. "And there's a lack of respect involved because there's no consultation, just faxes arriving each day listing fixtures and telling us to get on with it."

Progress to the group stages would compound the problem and potentially deal a significant blow to Derry's chances of winning the league but Kenny couldn't quite bring himself to express a preference when asked which he would rather achieve.

"Mmm," he sighed while pondering the options. "Could you maybe throw in a holiday in Florida with one of them as well," he joked before concluding: "Listen, there's nothing wrong with being greedy . . . we'll just try to win every game and see where it takes us".

PROBABLE TEAMS

DERRY CITY: Forde; McCallion, Kelly, Hutton, Hargan; McHugh, Deery, Molloy, Martyn, Brennan; Beckett.

PARIS ST GERMAIN (4-4-3): Landreau; Paulo Cesar, Traore, Armand, Drame; Rozehnal, Baning, Hellebuyck; Diane, Ffau, Pancrate.