Zlatan Ibrahimovic has admitted he feels almost like a "zombie" in his frustrating battle to be fit for Sweden's Euro 2016 qualifier with Russia on Thursday.
Ibrahimovic, 33, has missed Paris Saint-Germain's last three league games and their Champions League victory over Barcelona due to a heel injury.
The same problem threatens to sideline the Sweden captain when his nation face their Group G rivals in Stockholm. The PSG forward, who provided the assist for his team's goal in their 1-1 draw in Austria in their opening group game, revealed he and coach Erik Hamren would wait until the 11th hour to decide whether he plays, but Ibrahimovic told media he was itching to rejoin the fray.
"I go around and feel not like a zombie, but almost," he said. "I'd rather be on the pitch, and I will do what I can to be there."
Ibrahimovic played against Lyon in PSG's 1-1 draw in the duo's Ligue 1 encounter last month with a painkilling injection. He suggested he would not repeat that course of action, but said he would play with pain on the proviso that it will not sideline him for longer.
"As long as there is no risk of aggravating the problem, and I play with pain, that's OK. But if there is a risk of making it worse, I won't play. Absolutely not. It's only the start of the season," the former Juventus, Inter and AC Milan man, who has scored five league goals for PSG this season, explained.
"It feels better and better. We have increased the workload and things are going in the right direction. We take one day at a time. It feels much better, but I cannot give an answer today regarding the match. We'll wait until Thursday."