Marseille bid to move on from PSG disappointment

French champions Marseille will look to put the pain of defeat against arch-rivals Paris Saint-Germain firmly behind them when they welcome improving Lens to Stade Velodrome on Saturday.

Marseille could have returned to the top of Ligue 1 for the first time since the end of last season with victory at PSG last weekend, but a 2-1 defeat checked their recent momentum and left them fourth in the standings.

Didier Deschamps’s side got the result out of their system with a 2-1 victory over Monaco in the quarter-finals of the League Cup on Wednesday and the Marseille coach was encouraged by his team’s performance.

“We lost a game on Sunday in Paris because we didn’t perform well enough,” he said. “We needed to get rid of that disappointment and we managed it.

“The winning culture needs to be worked on on a daily basis. We suffered in the game. The players know what this competition means and last year we managed to win it. We need to keep this spirit up.”

Marseille will be without midfielder Benoit Cheyrou (groin) for the visit of Lens, with young Ghana international Andre Ayew likely to deputise.

Argentine centre-back Gabriel Heinze should return after being rested in the cup, while holding midfielder Edouard Cisse is also available following hamstring trouble, but Deschamps believes under-performing centre-backs Souleymane Diawara and Stephane Mbia “can do better”.

Lens go into the game second from bottom in the table, but a 2-0 win at home to Montpellier in their last outing moved them to within a point of safety and they are unbeaten in four league matches.

Marseille currently trail surprise leaders Brest by three points, but they do have a game in hand at home to Rennes to come on December 1.

Brest saw their extraordinary eight-game run without conceding a goal come to an end in a 3-1 defeat at Lille last time out, but they remain a point clear of second-placed Rennes ahead of the weekend’s fixtures.

The promoted club host Sochaux on Saturday and coach Alex Dupont will be able to align his first-choice centre-back pairing of Ahmed Kantari and Moise Brou Apanga (knee) as they return from suspension and injury respectively.

“We have to be able to get back up and remember that the poor performance at Lille was just one match,” midfielder Mario Licka told the Brest website.

“I have no doubts about us. We can’t wait to play against Sochaux and redeem ourselves.”

PSG, third after their defeat of Marseille and into the last four of the League Cup following a 3-1 win at Valenciennes, travel to ninth-placed Lorient on Sunday.

The side from the capital are also well placed to reach the knockout phase in the Europa League and centre-back Zoumana Camara, scorer of the first goal against Valenciennes, says the mood in the camp is increasingly optimistic.

“We’re managing to be competitive in every competition,” said Camara.

“We’re competitors. We have quality. The squad is doing well. The confidence is building and that’s everything.”

Auxerre stretched their unbeaten run to six games with a 2-0 win over Saint-Etienne on Tuesday that took them into the League Cup semi-finals and they will provide a stern test for visiting Rennes on Sunday.

Lyon, 11th, host Nice in Sunday’s late game and despite their inconsistent start to the season, the competitiveness of the division means they are only three points behind third-placed PSG and five points off top spot.

Fixtures

Saturday (1800GMT unless otherwise stated):

Bordeaux v Nancy, Brest v Sochaux, Marseille v Lens, Monaco v Arles-Avignon, Montpellier v Toulouse, Valenciennes v Saint-Etienne, Caen v Lille (2000GMT)

Sunday (1600GMT unless otherwise stated):

Auxerre v Rennes, Lorient v Paris Saint-Germain, Lyon v Nice (2000GMT)