Sunday will bring us a host of the biggest derbies in the top five leagues, with the season’s first edition of Le Classique between Marseille and PSG set to round off the action in Ligue 1.
We could joke that the Parisians have decided to give the other teams in the league a chance, but the reality is that their situation will become rather worrying if they fail to beat Marseille on Sunday.
On paper, this has been PSG’s weakest start to a season since 2011, but they are certainly gradually finding their form.
We can excuse them to some extent on the grounds that a large part of the squad did indeed miss pre-season training and went straight into competitive matches, but the results are nonetheless embarrassing for the reigning UCL and French champions.
Marseille, for their part, played a perfect match to start with, but then everything fell apart, and they go into the derby on the back of four consecutive defeats in all competitions.
It could be said that they saved some of their energy during the week in their away match against Besiktas, but at the same time they suffered their heaviest defeat since February, when they played against PSG (5–0).
If they lose on Sunday too, they will be rewriting their own history, as they have never before lost four of their first five matches in Ligue 1.
How the bookies view it: PSG’s resurgence starts here
The Parisians are the clear favourites to win this fixture, as is always the case in any match between these two sides. Given Marseille’s current form, the difference in the odds this time is huge.
You can currently back Marseille at 6/1, whilst PSG are available at 2/5. If you think the Olympians can snatch at least a point, you can back a draw at 17/4.
Recent head-to-head: Marseille lost 8 of the last 10 H2Hs
As you can imagine, PSG have dominated the rivalry in recent years, although there have been exceptions where Marseille have come out on top.
For example, in the last 10 matches, the Olympians have managed just two wins against eight defeats, but both of those wins were at home. Their most recent win was actually last season in the same fixture. But in most other cases, PSG usually won by a significant margin.
Players to watch: Torres has found his place
We all know what big names play for PSG and what they’re capable of on a good day.
But at the start of this season, Ferran Torres has been the man saving them from even bigger setbacks; thanks to his goals, they avoided defeat against Rennes and beat Brest.
With a total of six goals in five matches this season, the 26-year-old new signing is certainly justifying the hefty fee that PSG paid to Barcelona.
Probable line-ups
Marseille: De Lange, Weah, Aguerd, Egan-Riley, Emerson, Abdelli, Hojbjerg, Harit, Gomes, Paixao, Gouiri
Paris Saint-Germain: Safonov, Zaire-Emery, Marquinhos, Pacho, Mendes, Neves, Vitinha, Ruiz, Dembele, Torres, Kvaratskhelia
Anything else catch the eye?
It’s only a matter of time before Paris Saint-Germain shift into top gear and start winning convincingly; hardly anyone doubts that, despite the results.
Unfortunately for Marseille, they look like exactly the team against whom this positive turnaround might begin. The Olympians' defence looks disorganised, with the only silver lining being that PSG don’t look at their best at the back either.
That’s why I expect to see at least one goal from Marseille, but that won’t be enough for them to get the better of the champions.
GambleAware