Neymar could play against Real Madrid as he's back in PSG training

Neymar trained with the Parisians on Thursday and might play against Los Blancos in the

last-16 first leg next week. 

After rupturing the ligaments in his left ankle during PSG's 3-1 victory against Saint-Etienne on November 28, Neymar has not featured for the club subsequently. 

The 30-year-old star, who was expected to be sidelined for six to eight weeks, has missed PSG's last 12 games. 

He has, however, accelerated his recuperation by taking small parts in group exercises on the evening of PSG's

match against Rennes.

Neymar has been ruled out of Friday's match by

Mauricio Pochettino

, but a verdict on if he might play against Real Madrid in five days will be decided next week. 

"He's a great player who wants to play in the big games," Pochettino said at a pre-match news conference. "But he's an experienced player who has had injuries before. 

"He has the maturity to be able to handle these types of situations and use these situations to bring out the best in himself.

"We will wait and decide in the next few days if he will be there for Tuesday."

Before his injury, Neymar had been in poor form, scoring only three goals and assisting three times in 14 games across all tournaments this season. 

In the meantime, Real Madrid legend

Sergio Ramos

still has an opportunity to play against his former club in the first leg at Parc des Princes next week. 

Ramos had another calf injury two weeks ago, missing PSG's past two outings, although he resumed training on Thursday and will be tested in the next 48 hours.

Since joining Pochettino's squad in July, the Spaniard has only appeared five times in all competitions, logging a total of 284 minutes on the pitch. 

Indeed, he only appeared in eight matches for the Ligue 1 club in all tournaments in 2021, and his last game for Spain's national team was against Kosovo in March. 

Ander Herrera

is expected to be back in training on Sunday, according to the club, before their match against Rennes. 

While PSG's injury problems are subsiding, Madrid is still uncertain if their talisman 

Karim Benzema

will be fit to play after missing the club's last two matches. 

Benzema has netted five goals in his last four Champions League games, but he is in a race against the clock to be prepared.

"If he is not there, it would be a big loss for Madrid," Pochettino said. "He's one of the best strikers in the world. 

"He's a great player who shows his talent in a club like Real year after year. But I'm not saying that it will benefit PSG because Real have a very large squad."

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