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Football: PSG wait on Neymar return ahead of Lille showdown

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Agence France-Presse

Paris Saint-Germain are hoping to have Neymar back in time for their top-of-the-table clash at Lille on Sunday, as the Brazil superstar looks to have recovered quicker than expected from what looked like a bad ankle injury.Coach Thomas Tuchel said &quot;for Neymar we will do everything&quot; after Wednesday&#x27;s 2-0 win over struggling Lorient, which put the champions second and keeps them just a point behind Ligue 1 leaders Lille.Neymar had already revealed the injury, which came after a rough Thiago Mendes tackle during last weekend&#x27;s 1-0 home loss to Lyon, was not as bad as initially thought.However such a speedy return still seemed unlikely until Tuchel revealed he could yet feature at the Stade Pierre Mauroy.&quot;I can&#x27;t say &#x27;No, he&#x27;s not playing against Lille&#x27;. It is possible. We can try, we will try everything,&quot; Tuchel said.His return would be a huge boost to PSG&#x27;s morale after a strife-ridden opening few months of the season which has led to speculation over Tuchel&#x27;s future.A win on Sunday would put the capital city side back on top of the pile after they moved above Lyon in the midweek round of fixtures, with a five-match winning-streak for Rudi Garcia&#x27;s side coming to an end with a dramatic 2-2 draw with Brest.PSG&#x27;s other major title rivals Marseille host Reims on Saturday as they lurk five points back but with a game in hand.Fourth-placed Marseille go into the weekend having lost ground in the title race following a 2-1 defeat at Rennes, who have won two on the bounce after a miserable run in which they lost seven of their previous eight in all competitions.There appears to be some tension in the Marseille camp after coach Andre Villas-Boas launched an attack on a journalist at French newspaper La Provence. According to witnesses the Portuguese boss targeted the reporter with threats of &quot;I&#x27;ll get you&quot; and criticised their work during the post-match press conference.The row, apparently over an article which slammed Villas-Boas&#x27; career record in the Champions League following their dismal effort in this year&#x27;s competition, then carried on outside Rennes&#x27; Roazhon Park as the reporter and coach faced each other down.Lille, meanwhile, seem confident they can maintain their slight hold on the summit and make this a true title race in a league now used to PSG dominance.The northern outfit seem to be unworried by a potential change in ownership, with president Gerard Lopez saying he would &quot;completely withdraw&quot; from the club if a bid from a Luxembourg investment fund is accepted.&quot;Both teams are tired, Paris might have more quality but in one game everything is there to play for,&quot; said coach Christophe Galtier.Player to watch: Yusuf Yazici Turkey&#x27;s Yazici continued his impressive recent form on Wednesday when he scored the opening goal in Lille&#x27;s 2-0 win at Dijon.The 23-year-old showed the composure that has seen him score five times in just three Ligue 1 starts, and six in as many Europa League appearances, when he slotted home Zeki Celik&#x27;s cutback in the 19th minute.Yazici signed for Lille in the summer of 2019 but this has become the attacker&#x27;s breakout season, his two hat-tricks at Sparta Prague and AC Milan helping his side reach the Europa League last 32, where they will face four-time European champions Ajax.Key stats 5 - goals that Yusuf Yazici has scored this Ligue 1 season12 - the number of games Lyon have played since last losing4 - PSG have already lost to Lens, Marseille, Monaco and Lyon so far this seasonFixtures (all times GMT) SaturdayMetz v Lens (1600), Marseille v Reims (1800), Nice v Lyon (2000)SundayBrest v Montpellier (1200), Dijon v Monaco, Strasbourg v Bordeaux, Nantes v Angers, Saint-Etienne v Nimes (all 1400), Lorient v Rennes (1600), Lille v Paris Saint-Germain (2000)<div>td/iwd</div><div>© Agence France-Presse</div>

Paris Saint-Germain are hoping to have Neymar back in time for their top-of-the-table clash at Lille on Sunday, as the Brazil superstar looks to have recovered quicker than expected from what looked like a bad ankle injury.

Paris Saint-Germain are hoping to have Neymar back in time for their top-of-the-table clash at Lille on Sunday, as the Brazil superstar looks to have recovered quicker than expected from what looked like a bad ankle injury.