It is as if Paris had jumped back nine years, in the first months of its current Qatari owner. Defeated in Lens on Thursday (0-1), PSG had not lost for its entry into the league since 2011, the year, also, of its last setback against the rival Marseille (0-3) …
This statistic is in everyone’s mind before the 98e confrontation between the two enemies. The mountain of the defending champion in France, undefeated in the last 20 face-to-face, threatens to collapse.
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Marseille, hungry dolphin
Weakened by the absence of Neymar, Mbappé, Di Maria, Navas, Marquinhos, Paredes and Icardi, who all tested positive for Covid- in early September, PSG is no longer the team that has climbed to Champions League final in August. His poor performance in Artois, especially in attack where coach Thomas Tuchel had tenured two 18-year-old beginners, highlighted his vulnerability at the time, even if Neymar and Di Maria, recovered, return to the group and could find the field this evening.
Marseille, runner-up to PSG last season, is approaching the capital in shark mode, attracted by this golden opportunity for him. “We want to win, take advantage of the absences and their lack of training. We looked at the difficulties they had against Lens. Maybe it’s a chance, the right time for us, ”said OM coach André Villas-Boas.
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“We want it to end”
“This series (of Parisian successes) they do not want it to end, and we, we want it to end”, assured Dimitri Payet. But the Marseille playmaker is well placed to know that a “Classic” goes beyond the framework of the field: his lodger tweet after the defeat of PSG against Bayern set fire on social networks, between supporters of both camps … “The animal is injured, but we must not forget that the Parisians will not play against us as they played in Lens”, he continued.
“It’s a match that is close to our hearts because the supporters are waiting for it”, abounded the Parisian medium Marco Verratti. The challenge for Paris will be to find this flame, without a match or fuel, since its noisy Parc des Princes is subject to the 5,000-person mark.
Between depopulated bench and truncated preparation, the club found a little going on Friday, by hiring Italian defender Alessandro Florenzi, who could make his debut tonight.
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