Paris Saint-Germain's fab three forwards Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar are set to be reunited for the first time since the World Cup when the Ligue 1 leaders travel to take on Rennes on Sunday.
French striker Mbappe returned to training on Thursday after being given 10 days off after coming back from Qatar and playing in PSG's first two games following the tournament.
He had taken in an NBA game in New York along with teammate Achraf Hakimi and was absent as World Cup winner Messi returned to action, and scored, in PSG's 2-0 win over Angers on Wednesday.
The World Cup was a clear motivating factor in the trio's outstanding form during the early months of the campaign, and how they play together will be crucial in determining how the remainder of the season plays out for PSG.
They are six points clear of Lens before completing the first half of the season in Rennes, but the Champions League is their main objective.
After failing to come top of their group, Christophe Galtier's side were drawn to play Bayern Munich in the last 16, with the first leg at home set for February 14.
Galtier described the 35-year-old Messi as "relaxed and in great shape physically" after his first match since captaining Argentina to a penalty shoot-out victory over Mbappe's France in an epic World Cup final last month.
The question now is how much motivation the former Barcelona star has after that career-defining triumph.
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Argentina's Lionel Messi lies in bed with the Fifa World Cup trophy on Tuesday, December 20, 2022, after he and his teammates arrived in Buenos Aires to a heroes' welcome following their penalty shoot-out victory over France in the final in Qatar. Reuters -
Argentina's Lionel Messi lies in bed with the World Cup trophy. Reuters -
Argentina's Lionel Messi in bed with the World Cup trophy. Reuters -
An Argentina fan with a flag of Lionel Messi at the World Cup victory parade in Buenos Aires. Reuters -
An Argentina fan with a Lionel Messi flag at the victory parade. Reuters -
Argentina fans at the victory parade in Buenos Aires. Reuters -
A banner of Argentina's Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona at the parade. Reuters -
Thousands of fans gather for the victory parade in Buenos Aires. AFP -
Fans celebrate in Buenos Aires. AFP -
Argentina fans in Buenos Aires. AFP -
An Argentina fan takes a selfie in Buenos Aires. AFP
PSG are keen to extend his contract in the French capital into a third season and Messi's biggest goal now will be to win the Champions League for the first time since 2015.
Fuelled by losing the World Cup final despite scoring a hat-trick, 2018 world champion Mbappe will be desperate to get his hands on the Champions League trophy for the first time.
Neymar, meanwhile, left the World Cup in tears as Brazil lost on penalties in the quarter-finals.
He was then sent off in PSG's first game post-Qatar against Strasbourg, completing a miserable end to 2022.
Galtier insists they still need time to get back up to speed.
"We are all just getting used to playing together again and you could see at times that we lacked some of the connections between the players that we had more often before the World Cup," he said after the midweek game.
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From left: Paris Saint-Germain's Neymar, Marquinhos, Lionel Messi and Marco Verratti attend a training session at Le Camp des Loges in Paris on Tuesday, January 10, 2023. AFP -
PSG's Neymar, Lionel Messi, Marquinhos and Marco Verratti during training. AFP -
Lionel Messi attends PSG's training session on Tuesday. AFP -
Paris Saint-Germain's Marco Verratti and forward Neymar train on Tuesday. AFP -
Marco Verratti, Neymar and Marquinhos attend a training session at PSG's training centre. AFP -
PSG goalkeepers Keylor Navas, left, and Gianluigi Donnarumma during training. AFP -
PSG midfielder El Chadaille Bitshiabu during training. AFP -
PSG midfielder Marco Verratti with star forward Lionel Messi. AFP
