Girard labels Lille-Marseille ´one of the games of the year´

Lille head coach Rene Girard said he is relishing their clash with Marseille, calling it ‘one of the games of the year’ in Ligue 1.

The former Montpellier coach has steered his team to second in the table, four points behind leaders PSG but six ahead of fourth-placed Marseille.

Girard admitted his side may be fatigued after Saturday’s win over Valenciennes but believes that they can take a ninth win in 11 league matches on Tuesday.

“When you have games against Paris, Monaco, Lyon or Marseille you are excited,” Girard said.

“You look at these games at the beginning of the season, these are the ones you look for.

“Top games are always the most interesting ones to play.

“Marseille is still Marseille, I believe there will be many fans excited about this game.”

Girard said his side could settle for a point, having only two days to prepare for the clash at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy.

“Yes a draw would still be a good result for both sides on Tuesday,” he said.

“It would keep us undefeated and it’s really important for us to maintain momentum.

“But we only have 48 hours to recover after our last game on Saturday.

“It is a bit of a short gap, and that was a difficult game.

“We need to recover, there are many things that we need to prepare for this game, so yes not losing would be a good result but we’ll play this game to win.”

Girard said how they play against Marseille would be a good measuring stick for how they will be faring come May.

“For us, this match is a good chance to evaluate where we are in the championship and how we are playing,” he said.

“Playing these kind of teams is interesting, and I would say it’s one of the games of the year.”