Marseille ´purring´ ahead of PSG grudge match

Marseille will approach their trip to arch-rivals Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday glowing with confidence after putting a record seven unanswered goals past MSK Zilina in the Champions League in mid-week.

The defending French champions, who have yet to find top form this season, did not play in the league last weekend after their home clash with Rennes was called off due to a waterlogged pitch, but they showed no signs of rustiness in Slovakia.

The scoreline represented the most emphatic victory for an away team in the Champions League and Marseille were also buoyed by a hat-trick from striker Andre-Pierre Gignac, who had previously scored just once since his 16.5 million-euro move from Toulouse.

“It augurs well for the game at the Parc,” said Gignac’s strike partner Loic Remy, who also got onto the scoresheet against Zilina.

“We started the match really well, even though we’ve been struggling to start well, in the league as well as the Champions League.

“I’m also happy for Andre-Pierre, but I wasn’t worried because he works hard.”

Marseille go into Sunday’s game at the Parc des Princes two points behind leaders Brest, who went top with a 2-0 win at home to Saint-Etienne last weekend.

Rennes are second, a point above third-placed Marseille, but with the Breton side hosting Lyon and Brest facing a difficult trip to Lille, victory in Paris could take OM back to the Ligue 1 summit for the first time since the final day of last season.

Holding midfielder Edouard Cisse missed the mid-week trip to Zilina with a slight hamstring strain, but he is expected to be fit for Sunday’s game and Deschamps has no other significant injury concerns.

“I know that the motivation will be there on Sunday,” said the Marseille coach.

“We’ll go there with confidence, but not too much because it’s a huge match.”

Games between PSG and Marseille, France’s two best-supported clubs, are traditionally the stand-out fixtures of the French calendar but recent matches between the sides have been marred by violence between supporters.

Fans from both sides clashed with police in central Marseille when the first fixture between the teams last season was called off at late notice due to an outbreak of swine flu at the Parisian club.

Marseille fans subsequently boycotted the return game in February, in protest at what they said were draconian security measures, but groups of rival PSG fans fought amongst themselves after the game and one man was beaten to death.

Away fans have been banned from this season’s matches by the Professional Football League (LFP), despite a legal challenge from OM supporters groups.

Mamadou Sakho, who came through the PSG youth ranks and is now a lynchpin of the side at the age of just 20, says he understands the intensity of emotion that surrounds the rivalry.

“This match against Marseille is very special to me. I’m 200 percent Parisian!” the centre-back told the official Ligue 1 website.

“OM have a good team and some players of top quality. But right now we have what it takes to match it with them. It will be an excellent match.”

PSG, currently seventh, approach the game on the back of a goalless draw at home to German league leaders Borussia Dortmund in the Europa League on Thursday.

Fixtures

Saturday (1800GMT unless otherwise stated):

Arles-Avignon v Caen, Bordeaux v Valenciennes, Saint-Etienne v Lorient, Sochaux v Auxerre, Rennes v Lyon (2000GMT)

Sunday (1600GMT unless otherwise stated):

Lens v Montpellier, Lille v Brest, Nancy v Monaco, Nice v Toulouse, Paris Saint-Germain v Marseille (2000GMT)