Soccer-PSG rest captain Silva for Shakhtar game

PARIS, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Paris St Germain will be without captain Thiago Silva for their Champions League final group game against Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday as coach Laurent Blanc has decided to rest the Brazil centre back. PSG have already secured qualification for the last 16 and will finish second in Group A behind Real Madrid so nothing will be at stake at the Parc des Princes. "Thiago Silva has played a lot, and well, recently so he deserves a rest," Blanc told a news conference on Monday. The former France defender added that he would make a last-minute decision on several other players. "We have a lot of players with minor knocks -- Gregory van der Wiel, Marco Verratti, Thiago Motta notably. I am waiting for this afternoon's training session to make a decision," said Blanc. Verratti, however, is highly likely be omitted from the squad. "He's not really ready and he has two yellow cards, meaning that if he picks up one tomorrow he'll be suspended for the last-16 first leg," Blanc explained. PSG have lost only one game in all competitions this season, a 1-0 defeat at Real Madrid that decided the group's standings. (Reporting by Julien Pretot; editing by Clare Fallon)