OM-PSG: Rivalry, ranking, Mbappé… Five questions before the Classic

OM receives its best enemy from Paris this Sunday (8:45 p.m.), during the last match of the 27th day of Ligue 1. Classic evening, in a full Vélodrome but without Parisian fans, as always. A match to follow on Amazon Prime Video and live with commentary on our site.

Created from scratch at the beginning of the 90s, the rivalry between Paris and Marseille is now well anchored. A rivalry which has regained strength in recent years, while Parisian domination over its rival had dissipated it a little. The matches between the two best enemies of French football are becoming close again in every sense of the word. Although, the last two duels largely turned in favor of the Rouge et Bleu, and in particular the first leg in the championship: 4-0 despite the early exit of Kylian Mbappé due to injury half an hour into the game. After a direct free kick from 'Achraf Hakimi, Paris had doubled Randal Kolo Muani's bet. Gonçalo Ramos then buried the last hopes of Marseille by scoring his first two goals with his new club. Cardboard.

Since the takeover of QSI and the 3-0 Olympian victory on November 27, 2011, the record is striking: 2 Marseille successes, four draws and… 23 Parisian victories! From a sporting point of view, the clashes between OM and OL make more sense. But the atmosphere is always special at the Parc des Princes or at the Vél’ before a Classic. This will also be the 107th OM-PSG or PSG-OM in history (50 victories for PSG, 21 draws, 35 victories for OM). “It’s THE match,” summarizes the Marseille coach, Jean-Louis Gasset.

Also read “Everything is possible in life”: Luis Enrique remains unclear on the start of Kylian Mbappé during OM-PSG

The facts of the problem are simple: solid leader in the Ligue 1 standings, PSG will aim to consolidate its position and get closer to what would be its 12th French champion title. Seventh before the start of the day, OM must win to stay in contact with the European places. “It’s the most important month of the season, matches against the teams who are up there. If we want to achieve our goal, we have to take points,” insists OM goalkeeper Pau Lopez at a press conference.

Note that Paris restarted the first before the international break, crushing Montpellier 6-2 at La Mosson after three consecutive draws in L1 (Rennes, Monaco, Reims). The Marseillais, for their part, found their smile again and racked up five victories in all competitions after the appointment of Jean-Louis Gasset (Shakhtar, Montpellier, Clermont, Villarreal, Nantes). They nevertheless remain with two setbacks, without consequences against Villarreal in C3 (3-1) and more unfortunate against a direct rival, Rennes (2-0).

They obviously won't say it, but the Parisians would sign with both hands if they had to choose between a victory in Marseille and qualification for the Coupe de France final, next Wednesday, against Rennes. Obviously, they will do their best to achieve both objectives... And they have the means. Let us recall in passing that Parisians and Marseillais are still in the running in the European Cup. PSG has a meeting with FC Barcelona in the C1 quarter-finals (April 10 and 16), while OM will face Benfica for a place in the Europa League semi-finals (April 11 and 18). Like Lille (C4), they have also seen their calendar adjusted for the 29th day of the championship, between the two European matches. “The only match that exists is the one on (Sunday),” promises Luis Enrique, assuring that he has “no global strategy” to manage playing time before the upcoming series.

Also read “He can change his opinion”: Luis Enrique sows doubt about Mbappé’s future at PSG

“Everything is possible in life”: Luis Enrique tried to maintain suspense on this subject on Saturday at a press conference. All before suggesting, on Amazon, that the future of the person concerned is perhaps not as sealed as we imagine. “I still have hope that Kylian will change his opinion. He hasn't said anything yet. He can change his opinion,” he slipped. As for Sunday, suspense. “Impossible to get into the head” of Luis Enrique, commented Jean-Louis Gasset, admitting not knowing “if there is a plan for a player like that”. Answer this Sunday at 7:45 p.m.

It remains to be seen which defense OM will line up to counter Mbappé and the Parisian attackers. Among the many absent from Marseille, we find in particular Bamo Meïté, Amir Murillo and especially Jonathan Clauss. Uncertain for a long time. Samuel Gigot, Leonardo Balerdi and Ulisses Garcia could finally be operational. How to avoid drawing from the club's young shoots or aligning Stéphane Sparagna? There too, suspense.

It hasn't been that long. Just over a year in fact. Igor Tudor's players had in fact given a lesson in combativeness to those of Christophe Galtier on February 8, 2023, at the Vélodrome. 2-1 victory in the round of 16 of the Coupe de France, with goals from Alexis Sanchez and Ruslan Malinovskyi. Sergio Ramos had, for a time, equalized. Two weeks later, however, the Parisians took a stunning revenge by winning 3-0 in Marseille, this time in the league. Two goals and an assist for Mbappé, two assists and a goal for Lionel Messi. Clear, sharp and smudge-free. To find traces of a Marseille victory against Paris at the Vélodrome in the championship, however, we have to go back to November 2011. OM's scorers? Loïc Rémy, Morgan Amalfitano and André Ayew. Another era.