Marseille vs PSG

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One of the highly anticipated clashes during the Easter weekend sees two titans of Ligue 1, Marseille and Paris Saint-Germain, meeting once again for another thrilling edition of Le Classique on Sunday evening.

Marseille, known as Les Olympiens, head back to their home ground at Orange Velodrome following a disappointing two-match losing streak, contrasting with the reigning champions PSG, who delivered a resounding 6-0 victory against Montpellier HSC before the international break.

The initial excitement surrounding Marseille's new manager, Jean-Louis Gasset, who replaced Gennaro Gattuso, has somewhat dwindled. Gasset's appointment raised eyebrows, particularly considering his previous dismissal midway through the Africa Cup of Nations coaching the Ivory Coast team. Despite this, Marseille's board's bold decision seemed justified as Gasset kicked off his tenure with an impressive five-game winning streak. Even their first loss under his leadership, a 3-1 defeat to Villarreal, was overshadowed by their commanding 4-0 first-leg win in the Europa League last-16 tie.

However, Marseille suffered a setback with a significant 2-0 loss to Rennes in a league match just three days later. Goals from Martin Terrier and a late penalty by Benjamin Bourigeaud meant that Marseille slipped out of European qualification spots before the international break, currently standing in seventh place with a three-point deficit to Lens, who face Lille on Saturday.

Despite this, Marseille's stronghold at the Orange Velodrome offers some optimism, with a four-game winning streak across all competitions, wherein they've scored at least twice in each victory. Their only 'defeat' at home this season came in a penalty shootout loss to Panathinaikos during Champions League qualifying, indicating their resilience on their home turf.

Even during that instance, Marseille emerged victorious with a 2-1 scoreline before faltering in the penalty shootout, leaving PSG to confront a team that has yet to experience defeat in a full 90-minute match at home throughout the entire season.

Now that the excitement surrounding Kylian Mbappe has settled, PSG, the dominant force from the capital, have returned to their usual form and concluded the first quarter of 2024 with back-to-back wins. They triumphed over Nice in the Coupe de France and then secured a convincing victory over Montpellier HSC in Ligue 1.

Mbappe, reinstated into the starting lineup and playing a full 90 minutes, claimed the match ball in the thrilling 6-2 win. Lee Kang-in, Vitinha, and Nuno Mendes also contributed goals, putting an end to PSG's streak of three consecutive draws in the league.

With eight games remaining and a 12-point lead over second-place Brest, PSG's status as the defending champions was never truly in jeopardy during their slump. Enrique's team will be taking a 24-game unbeaten streak into the Orange Velodrome.

The only unbeaten teams in all of Europe's top five divisions in 2024 are Bayer Leverkusen and Manchester City. The men in navy blue have also recently had success in Classique history, having defeated Marseille in both of their previous meetings by an aggregate score of 7-0.

The medical staff at Marseille have been working extra hours ahead of Sunday's highly anticipated derby, but unfortunately, it seems unlikely that winger Ismaila Sarr will be available. Reports suggest he'll be sidelined for this match and the next three weeks due to a hamstring injury.

Meanwhile, right-back Jonathan Clauss is facing a similar setback after sustaining an injury while with the French national team. He may also be out for around a month. This adds to Marseille's defensive woes, with several other defenders like Amir Murillo, Samuel Gigot, Bamo Meite, Leonardo Balerdi, and Ulisses Garcia already nursing injuries, along with Valentin Rongier recovering from knee surgery and midfielder Jean Onana also sidelined.

There's a glimmer of hope that Balerdi and Gigot could bolster Marseille's defense against the champions, but if not, the team might have to call up players from their B team just to field a backline.

On the other side, PSG is dealing with their own defensive issues. Players like Milan Skriniar, Presnel Kimpembe, and Marquinhos are all nursing injuries, along with left-back Layvin Kurzawa, who's currently out of favor.