Lionel Messi makes his return to the PSG starting line up as Ajaccio face the Ligue 1 defending champions in Paris.
The World Cup winner was told to stay away from training after taking an unauthorised trip to Saudi Arabia for a sponsorship deal.
He was initially given a two-week suspension by the club, despite the player thinking he had a day off when he travelled abroad. He was subsequently left out of the 3-1 win over Troyes last weekend.
After issuing a apology over the incident, Messi rejoined training earlier this week, with Christophe Galtier confirming he would start against relegation battling Ajaccio.
Will Lionel Messi play against Ajaccio?
Galtier has stuck to his word over Messi's return to the PSG squad and he starts in attack at the Parc des Princes, alongside Kylian Mbappe and Hugo Ekitiké.
Messi has registered 15 Ligue 1 goals for Galtier's side so far in 2022/23 and he could add to his total against an Ajaccio side hanging on to their top-flight status.
Defeat will relegate the visitors and a win will bring PSG to within four points of securing their title defence this season.
MORE: Why was Lionel Messi suspension at PSG cut short?
Has Lionel Messi been suspended before?
There is a good chance Messi's suspension was cut short due to his positive history. The 35-year-old rarely gets suspended, with his last red card coming back in 2021 for Barcelona.
The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner has only received three red cards throughout his career, two for Argentina and one for Barcelona. He was actually sent off on his debut for the national team as the referee thought he elbowed his opponent in the face, which was a very harsh call.
His other red card for Argentina came in the 2019 Copa America third-place playoff against Chile. He then accused CONMEBOL, the football governing body for South America, of corruption and was suspended for three more games.
PSG remaining schedule
PSG are six points clear at the top of the table with just four games to go. The earliest PSG can mathematically secure the title is on Saturday, May 27, but that is if Lens lose their next two games.
Messi will be expected to play in each of those four games for PSG, but his future beyond that is in doubt as both Barcelona and Al Hilal could battle it out for his signature.
| Opponent | Date |
|---|---|
| Ajaccio (H) | Saturday, May 13 |
| Auxerre (A) | Sunday, May 21 |
| Strasbourg (A) | Saturday, May 27 |
| Clermont (H) | Saturday, June 3 |