Paris Saint-Germain are hopeful that Zlatan Ibrahimovic will make his return against the league leaders Marseille on Sunday night.

A nagging heel injury has confined the Swedish talisman to the sidelines since a 1-1 home draw against Lyon on 21 September but he was back in training on Thursday and is hopeful of playing some part against Marseille.

Edinson Cavani’s goals have kept PSG afloat and they lie second in the league, four points behind the leaders, having also qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League, but the return of Ibrahimovic would give them a timely boost with one third of the season gone.

“Things have been evolving very well over the last few days. I think we’re seeing the light at the end of the tunnel now. We’ve seen some very positive signs,” their coach Laurent Blanc said.

“He has started joining in training and he’s been doing some running. He hasn’t lost that much fitness in cardiovascular terms. If things continue to improve over the next few days anything is possible.”

Sunday night’s game has captured the imagination of the public and will be shown by 42 different broadcasters across 160 countries, including India, the United States and Canada.