Inside Europe – PSG favourites but Jorge Sampaoli’s team can spring a shock, and Dimitri Payet will be the key
Published 22/10/2021 at 15:41 GMT
In the latest Inside Europe Pete Sharland looks ahead to Le Classique, one of France’s fiercest derbies, which will take play this Sunday evening with Paris Saint-Germain travelling south to take on Olympique Marseille. To get more information ahead of the clash Vincent Bregevin from Eurosport France drops in to lend a hand.
Inside Europe Marseille
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One point, five points, ten points or more, it simply doesn’t matter.
No matter what the gap this game always means more.
It is one of France’s most historic and passionate derbies, Le Classique. This Sunday evening Paris Saint-Germain will take on Olympique Marseille in the Orange Velodrome, one of the most intimidating places to play football in the whole of Europe.
Ahead of the game we got in touch with Vincent Bregevin from Eurosport France to get the lowdown.
How are both teams doing ahead of the clash?
“Both teams are in good condition in different ways,” Bregevin beings.
"Marseille were struggling a bit in the past few weeks, but they bounced back nicely against Lorient last Sunday (4-1) before getting a draw at Lazio on Thursday (0-0).”
However there could be a potential problem for Marseille and their manager Jorge Sampaoli.
“The key with Marseille is that Sampaoli used most of his regular starters in Rome, so they may lack freshness to face PSG just three days later.”
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Steve Mandanda, Jorge Sampaoli and Alvaro Gonzalez (Marseille)
Image credit: Getty Images
That is certainly not ideal, especially against the dominant league leaders. Speaking of which, how are they getting on?
“Paris played quite poorly against Angers last week and Leipzig in UCL,” Bregevin says of the club from the capital.
“But they still managed to win both games thanks to Mbappé.
“They have opened up a nine-point gap on top of the table so there won't be this pressure at Marseille.
“Neymar missed Leipzig's game but he's on track to play at the Velodrome. Still, he's not in great shape and often struggles against Marseille.”
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PARIS - Kylian Mbappe of Paris Saint-Germain and Neymar da Silva Santos Junior of Paris Saint-Germain celebrate the goal of Neymar da Silva Santos Junior of Paris Saint-Germain during the French Ligue 1 match between Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique Lyon
Image credit: Imago
That sounds ominous, do Marseille have a chance?
“Yes, Marseille have a chance. Their collective is much more convincing than PSG's one, and they have individual qualities up front to make the difference.
“They're really motivated to beat Paris, too, and they can count on their fans to put Paris under pressure.”
Okay, so about the fans, is this still a big game despite the gap?
So leading on from what Bregevin said at the end of that section, it sounds as if Marseille will have a great chance to win thanks to the atmosphere that their supporters can create.
But does it still mean as much? Since the takeover of PSG there has been a notable gap between the teams. Since the Qatari takeover in 2011 Marseille have never finished above PSG with the Parisians lifting seven titles and never finishing outside of the top two. By contrast Marseille have finished as low as 10th and 13th.
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Marseille's Polish forward Arkadiusz Milik (3rdL) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the French L1 football match between Marseille and Lorient on October 17, 2021 at the Velodrome stadium in Marseille. (
Image credit: Getty Images
So does it still matter?
"Yes,” Bregevin replies emphatically.
“This is a game fans of both teams are looking forward to every year, whatever the standings are. Marseille are 10 points behind PSG right now with one more game to play, and are aiming for a Champions League spot, so the sporting gap is not as big as it's been sometimes in the last 10 years.”
It’s worth noting that Bregevin added that with no PSG fans allowed at the Velodrome there should hopefully be no crowd trouble.
So how can Marseille beat PSG? And where should they worry?
“Dimitri Payet. He's been the difference maker at Marseille for many years and really stepped up since Sampaoli took charge.
“He's one of the best Ligue 1's players right now and Milik's return from injury allows him to play in his favoured role, as a playmaker behind the striker.
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Dimitri Payet #10 of Olympique de Marseille looks on during the UEFA Europa League group E match between Olympique Marseille and Galatasaray at Stade Velodrome on September 30, 2021
Image credit: Getty Images
“He's Marseille's best asset, especially considering PSG's weakness in defence this season. Pochettino's team is still a work in progress, they don't really have games under control this season, and it's great timing for Marseille to play them now.”
That sounds pretty good, and we never need an excuse to watch the wonderful Dimitri Payet play football. So where should they worry?
“They must control Mbappé who is on fire right now and shines most of the time against them. Not an easy task.”
Not easy at all, but it should be great to watch and you can follow live text coverage with Eurosport on Sunday night.
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