Paris Saint-Germain are sweating over the fitness of Lionel Messi ahead of their Champions League Group A clash with Manchester City on Tuesday night.
The ex-Barcelona man was taken off against Lyon with bone bruising to the knee earlier this month and was not involved in the recent win over Montpellier HSC, but Mauricio Pochettino is still hopeful that his star man will make the cut.
Messi's return would come at an ideal time with Angel Di Maria still serving a European suspension, while Marco Verratti is in the same position as Messi and Sergio Ramos is not expected to make his comeback just yet either.
Recent reports have claimed that Gianluigi Donnarumma is already seeking an exit route from Paris as he struggles to displace Keylor Navas, but the Italian may be given the nod here.
Juan Bernat, Colin Dagba and Layvin Kurzawa are all expected to be in contention to feature here, but Achraf Hakimi and Abdou Diallo seem set to continue out wide as Marquinhos and Presnel Kimpembe pair up in the heart of defence.
Georginio Wijnaldum's slow start to life at PSG could see him benched once again, with Ander Herrera and Idrissa Gueye hoping to keep their new-found goalscoring touches going alongside Leandro Paredes.
While Kylian Mbappe and Neymar are indispensable in the hosts' attack, Julian Draxler - who came off the bench to wrap up the win against Montpellier on Saturday - may get the nod on the right if Messi joins Di Maria on the sidelines.
PSG possible starting lineup: Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Kimpembe, Diallo; Gueye, Paredes, Herrera; Draxler, Mbappe, Neymar
> Click here to see how Man City could line up for this clash
Ben Knapton
