The 33-year-old centre back Lovren has faced Neymar on three occasions and lost every time, with the unstoppable Brazilian scoring four goals against him.
Chelsea reached the Champions League quarter-finals with a 3-1 aggregate win against Galatasaray on Tuesday, with Real Madrid joining them in the last eight after thrashing Schalke 04 9-2 over two legs of their last-16 tie.
Mbappe becomes PSG's all-time highest goal-scorer as French champions extend lead
Paris St Germain suffered their second defeat of the Ligue 1 season when they lost 2-0 at Toulouse after being reduced to 10 men on Friday.
Wearing a T-shirt that read "This is Paris," Messi beamed and waved at scores of fans who had come to greet him at Le Bourget airport on the outskirts of the French capital after his flight from Barcelona.
Decisions about the availability of Otavio, who started against Ghana, and reserve left back Nuno Mendes, who is also an injury concern, would be taken after a training session later on Sunday, Santos said.
Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo left Manchester United on Tuesday after a controversial interview in which he said he had no respect for manager Erik ten Hag. With the January transfer window close, what is his next move?
Manchester United's Argentine winger Angel Di Maria is set to have a medical ahead of a proposed transfer to French champions Paris St-Germain a year after arriving at Old Trafford for a British record transfer fee, local media reported on Sunday.
Earlier, Messi's World Cup-winning team mate Emiliano Martinez won the Lev Yashin award for the world's best goalkeeper.
Paris St Germain missed the chance to go top of Ligue 1 after they were held to a 1-1 draw at Lille on Wednesday as coach Laurent Blanc's decision to rest Zlatan Ibrahimovic backfired.
Paris St Germain forward Kylian Mbappe suffered an ankle sprain in Friday's French Cup final win over St Etienne and his injury will be reassessed in three days' time, the Ligue 1 champions said on Saturday. A rough tackle from Loic Perrin saw the St Etienne defender catch Mbappe on the ankle and the 21-year-old collapsed on the pitch in pain before he was substituted. Perrin was sent off for the challenge as PSG won 1-0.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
'It wasn't easy, but I called him last night (Sunday) and we had a difficult and tough conversation. I feel bad as he's a player who has always been at the top level and has a future with the national team.'
La Liga leaders Real Madrid were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw at lowly city rivals Rayo Vallecano on Sunday as Joselu's early strike was cancelled out by Raul de Tomas' penalty, a result that could spice up the title race with surprise package Girona.
Barcelona and Paris St Germain claimed impressive victories at Manchester City and Bayer Leverkusen respectively in the first legs of their Champions League last 16 ties on Tuesday.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic will miss Paris St Germain's Ligue 1 season opener at Lille on Friday because of a knee injury.
Real Madrid have courted Mbappe in the past but failed to land the 24-year-old, who signed a contract extension with PSG in May last year.
Chelsea outplay Villa in FA Cup
PSG made hard work of beating Strasbourg 4-2 in the French Ligue 1, while Real Madrid registered a comfortable 4-1 win away to Alaves in their opening game.
Barcelona have been very active in the transfer market in recent years, completing three of the top six most expensive transfers ever.
'We are like his home. We are like his family ... We are going to help him to feel good'
By winning the World Cup on Sunday, the Argentine football team asserted its ability, but Martinez also proved that the Argentines can be bad sportsmen.
Emma Hayes, who led Chelsea to the 2021 Champions League final, is joined on The Best FIFA Women's Coach shortlist by England manager Sarina Wiegman and Canada coach Beverly Priestman.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic struck twice as Paris St Germain made up for their midweek Champions League defeat by crushing Toulouse 5-0 to stretch their Ligue 1 lead to 13 points on Saturday.
Ancelotti replaces Zinedine Zidane, who left Real last month.
Paris St Germain have reached an agreement with AC Milan to sign Sweden captain Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the Ligue 1 club's general manager Leonardo said on Tuesday.
Serie A witnessed some breath-taking football action, especially when AC Milan could not convert the umpteen chances they had against Sassuolo while Inter went to top. In Ligue 1 action, all the star players found the net for PSG. Here are images from the soccer matches played across Europe on Sunday.
Messi's image is everywhere, adorning the sides of buildings.
UEFA has moved this month's Champions League final between Manchester City and Chelsea to Porto from Istanbul
That was the lesser of two disappointments for the Belarusian on Thursday, as Azarenka's bid for a third title at Melbourne Park ended with some regret at her missed chances against 22nd seed Rybakina.
In the footballing world, players are allowed to switch clubs and loyalties during the transfer windows -- at the end of the season and in January. As the Champions League quarter-finals between Barcelona and Paris St Germain kicks off tonight, Rediff.com showcases those players who've donned the colours of both these clubs.
Lionel Messi's early goal earned Paris St Germain a 1-0 win at Olympique Lyonnais on Sunday as they opened a two-point lead at the top of Ligue 1.
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The Brazilian Football Confederation released a video that showed the Paris St Germain player training with the rest of the squad before they flew off to St Petersburg for Friday's Group E match against Costa Rica.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic bid farewell to Paris St Germain in style by scoring twice and setting up another as the French champions completed a second successive domestic treble by beating Olympique de Marseille 4-2 in the French Cup final on Saturday.
The former England captain earned 115 caps for England, a record for an outfield player, and won the Champions League, six Premier League titles and two FA Cups with Manchester United.
'Messi's departure is a move that helps Florentino. Imagine that (Kylian) Mbappe now signs for Real Madrid.'
- Zlatan Ibrahimovic started on the bench but still netted his 21st goal in as many Ligue 1 appearances as Paris St Germain opened a six-point lead at the top with a 3-1 home win over Bastia on Friday.
RMC sport and sports daily L'Equipe said he had died aged 73 after having a heart operation in Paris.
Lens falter in title race after draw at Nice, Marseille hit six
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