By Tim Stannard

1) PSG boss denies story over Neymar foot op

On Monday, the question was whether Neymar would be ready or not for next week's crucial Champions League clash with Real Madrid. 

A day later and the topic has expanded a little to whether the Brazilian is going to miss much of the rest of the season with reports from Brazil (sources 'close' to Neymar) that the PSG man is electing to have surgery on a fractured foot bone to make sure that he is ready for the Russia World Cup.

If true, this decision could leave the relationship between the footballer and PSG a little strained. Should the Ligue Un leaders be knocked out of the Champions League next week, then Neymar's absence will be academic. But should PSG prevail then Neymar would be needed sooner rather than later in a true club v country battle. 

However, these reports might well be a little erroneous with PSG boss Unai Emery coming out on Tuesday to throw cold water on the story and that it is too early to say what will happen in Neymar foot-gate. “We will need to wait to make a decision,” soothed the Spaniard, not really understanding that the media world is IMPATIENT! “There is still a small chance that he will play against Real Madrid. Any news about an operation is false.”

Tune into the XTRA at 7PM ET / 4PM PT for the latest news on Ney-Ney.

2) Make-up midfield for Real Madrid against Espanyol

Buckle up, cowgirls and boys, as there is no rest to be had in La Liga with an extra special round of action in Spain. And yes, technically, horses don't have seat belts. 

Why extra special? Because Sports Burst says so. Real Madrid are in action with a fairly depleted squad heading to Barcelona on Tuesday to take on Espanyol. Of course, the word 'depleted' is being stretched to the limit considering pretty much every player in the Madrid team is an international of some sort. 

Cristiano Ronaldo has been given a break to rest his weary bones, while Casemiro is a late withdrawal with "stomach problems." This leaves the usual midfield of the Brazilian, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric all sidelined through injury. Marcelo is also out of action. 

Madrid's opponents, Espanyol, fill the cliche of 'well organized' having had four draws in a row going into the clash in Cornella. Tune into beIN SPORTS at 2PM ET / 11AM PT for all the action, followed directly by Girona hosting Celta Vigo. Which could be quite tasty. 

3) Conte is number one choice for Italy job

 To say that Antonio Conte’s days as boss of Chelsea are numbered is hardly reaching out in the abyss of truth for a prediction.

The Italian has spent the season grumbling about his squad at Stamford Bridge and ensuring that the club misses out on the Champions League next season. But it looks like Conte might well have his next move all set up – and it is a move that could see the coach going back to the past to take over the reigns of the Italian national team again.

The Italian football association’s vice-commissioner Alessandro Costacurta, who is looking after the appointment, has confirmed that he will be speaking to Conte over the next few months to sound out the manager’s feelings on the role. “[Conte] has already shown he knows how to be national team coach while the others haven’t yet,” announced Costacurta seemingly ruling out plumping for the likes of Roberto Mancini.

WHAT IS SPORTS BURST?

The life philosophy of Sports Burst is that if you are not upsetting someone, then you are not trying hard enough. Sports Burst is a daily trawl and troll through the morning's sports news to bring you fact-nuggets to make you both smile and swear. Hopefully at the same time.