PSG coach Unai Emery said he wanted to be optimistic that his 222-million euro ($273 million) signing would be available to face Real as the French league leaders bid to overcome a 3-1 deficit to avoid an early exit from the tournament.
Paris St Germain coach Laurent Blanc admitted it would be hard to play football when they visit Lorient in Ligue 1 on Saturday eight days after the deadly attacks in Paris.
Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Juventus consolidated their top-flight leads at the weekend while Paris St Germain proved too strong for Ligue 1 leaders Olympique Marseille.
Olympique Lyon's hopes of clinching an eighth consecutive Ligue 1 title suffered another blow when they were held to a goalless draw at home to Paris St Germain on Friday.
Karim Benzema fired Real Madrid to a 1-0 win in the city derby against Atletico Madrid on Saturday which underlined Real's La Liga title credentials. Bayern Munich scored three goals in the opening 26 minutes to defeat Mainz 05 3-1 away on Saturday and go two points clear at the top of the Bundesliga with their sixth straight win.
Rediff.com encapsulates all the sporting action from the past week in this eye-catching photo feature.
Monaco handed Paris St Germain their first defeat of the season in Ligue 1 when a couple of late goals earned them a 2-0 home victory on Sunday.
Messi's contract expires at the end of June and there has been no announcement on an extension.
IMAGES from soccer matches played across Europe on Sunday.
Images from the football matches played across Europe on Sunday.
The inquiry that led to the detention of former Brazil player Ronaldinho Gaucho enters a new stage this week as prosecutors focus on what they believe is a money laundering scheme involving the businesswoman who invited him to Paraguay. Investigators will begin reviewing files and messages on the phones of the former Barcelona and AC Milan player and his brother and business manager Roberto Assis.
News of all that transpired on and off the football field.
Petr Cech will return in goal for Arsenal at HullCity on Saturday after missing the 1-1 Champions League draw at Paris St Germain in midweek.
Finances aside, though, there is an even bigger question mark hanging over Lionel Messi. Is he a fading force?
New Chelsea signings David Luiz and Marcos Alonso are not ready for a first-team place in Sunday's Premier League clash with SwanseaCity, manager Antonio Conte said on Friday.
Twice UEFA Cup winners Sevilla failed to reach the knockout phase after a 1-0 defeat at Sampdoria eliminated the Spaniards. Sampdoria's victory sent them through from Group C along with VfB Stuttgart, who thumped Standard Liege 3-0 to progress to Friday's last 32 draw. Paris St Germain, twice winners Tottenham Hotspur, NEC Nijmegen and Olympiakos Piraeus also sealed places in the first knockout round.
Brazil soccer great Pele was hospitalised in Paris late on Tuesday with a strong fever but his condition is not life-threatening, RMC Sport reported. The 78-year-old was admitted as a precaution after attending an event in the French capital with France's World Cup-winning youngster Kylian Mbappe.
Ronaleo netted his 14th league goal for Juve this season while PSG's winning streak was snapped by Monaco in a 3-3 draw. Here are images from the matches played on Sunday
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
For the first time since 1998, the Champions League final will feature two teams who entered the competition as domestic champions, a throwback to the day's of the old European Cup when only a country's title winners were allowed to enter.
Two goals in three minutes earned Paris St Germain a 3-2 win at bitter rivals Olympique de Marseille as the French champions regained the Ligue 1 lead on Sunday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Ligue 1 leaders Olympique Lyonnais were knocked out of the French Cup 3-2 at Nantes on Tuesday with Vincent Bessat grabbing a hat-trick in the last-32 game on a night of upsets.
Hamburg SV will play Manchester City in the UEFA Cup quarter-finals and could meet Bundesliga rivals Werder Bremen in the last four. Shakhtar Donetsk will play Olympique Marseille and Dynamo Kiev face Paris St Germain with the winners lined up to meet in the semis after the draw was made by UEFA on Friday.
Germany midfielder Julian Draxler has joined Paris St Germain on a four-and-a-half year contract from VfL Wolfsburg, the French champions said on Tuesday. The 23-year-old was a member of the victorious Germany squad at the 2014 World Cup. "For the first time in my career I will discover a new country, a new league and I am very proud to take this step in one of the best clubs in Europe," Draxler said in a club statement.
With supporters not allowed to attend matches and even the numbers of media tightly limited, there will be no boost in business for local bars and restaurants.
Ligue 1 leaders Olympique Lyon lost 2-0 to Lille at the Stade de France on Saturday and saw their advantage at the top cut to just one point.
Girondins Bordeaux reached the French League Cup final with a 3-0 away thrashing of Paris St Germain on Wednesday.
The Paris St Germain forward was both architect and executioner for Brazil, who inflicted a seventh straight last-16 exit on the central Americans, sliding home in the second half and then teeing up Roberto Firmino late on.
Barcelona are suing Neymar for 8.5 million euros for alleged breach of contract and demanding he return the loyalty bonus paid after he renewed his deal in October, less than a year before he signed for Paris St. Germain, the club said Tuesday.
The win lifted Hamburg, who needed a relegation playoff to stay up last season, to seventh on six points.
Lionel Messi says he wanted Neymar to return to Barcelona this year as the Brazilian would have helped the club take a leap forward
Manchester United's Spanish international Juan Mata has promised to give 1 per cent of his earnings to charity and wants all fellow professional footballers to do the same.
The striker is expected to be fully fit by the time Brazil kick off their World Cup campaign against Switzerland on June 17.
Manchester United's interim manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been hailed by the Norwegian press and his former United captain and teammate Gary Neville expects him to get the job on a permanent basis this month: "I'll be surprised if Solskjaer is not awarded the job during the international break (in March)."
Leicester keeper Schmeichel defends under-fire De Gea
AS Roma's dramatic Champions League elimination by Porto, thanks to a late penalty awarded with a VAR review, was a 'terrible way to go out', their captain Daniele De Rossi said on Wednesday.
Brazil forward Neymar denied he had problems with his team mates at his club Paris St Germain and was moved to tears after being given the backing of his national team coach Tite.
Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is relishing his time at the Premier League club and is in talks to extend his contract, saying he "never leaves a job unfinished".
A controversial penalty three minutes into added time gave Paris St Germain a 2-1 win over fellow Ligue 1 strugglers Racing Lens in the French League Cup final at the Stade de France on Saturday.
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