Summit looms for Marseille ahead of Rennes test

After landing their first French league title in 18 years last May, Marseille are aiming to re-sample the rarefied air of top spot with a win over early pace-setters Rennes on Saturday.

After starting their campaign by losing to unheralded Caen and Valenciennes, Marseille have slowly begun to plug back into last term’s form and last week’s 3-1 win at Lille left Didier Deschamps’ men just a point behind Rennes.

Rennes themselves have never won the title but set off on a fine early run prior to last week’s home loss to Montpellier.

Now Frederic Antonetti’s side must show that result has not derailed their nascent title aspirations.

The visitors’ chances could hinge on the availability of Colombian striker and top scorer Victor Hugo Montano, who has been struggling with a hamstring injury and in whose two-game absence Rennes have failed to score.

Antonetti has suggested that the Marseille date has been pencilled in as the day the 26-year-old from Cali comes back into contention.

Antonetti is already shuffling a diminished pack as midfielder Jerome Leroy is suspended, meaning Yann M’Vila is likely to sit in front of the defence with Stephane Dalmat and Alexander Tettey.

Deschamps is confident the home crowd will help Marseille come through Saturday’s test, but they will have to play with more urgency than they showed in Wednesday’s scrappy League Cup round of last 16 win at Guingamp.

“I grant you we weren’t turbo-charged for that one — maybe more like diesel,” admitted Deschamps after the 1-0 victory.

“(Rennes) play good football and have strength as well as speed in their ranks. We’ll have to be on our mettle — they’ve not stolen the points they have racked up.”

There was some good news for Marseille fans on Thursday when a court in the city ruled that supporters were entitled to attend their match away to bitter rivals Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes on November 7.

Earlier this month French Professional Football League (LFP) authorities had stipulated that away fans should be barred for security reasons, as well as from the return fixture.

PSG versus Marseille clashes are traditionally heated affairs and crowd trouble has erupted several times in the past.

Fans clashed prior to last season’s fixture in Marseille and one PSG fan died after being beaten up by a rival group of supporters from his own club following the return fixture in Paris in February.

Elsewhere, third-placed Saint-Etienne — fresh from a League Cup win over Bordeaux — and promoted Brest are level on points going into a weekend where the two will meet in Brittany before a sell-out crowd.

Brest stunned 2009 champions Bordeaux away last week but midfielder Bruno Grougi says nobody at the club is getting arried away.

“We have to keep this up and work hard to stay where we are or other teams will start getting wise to us,” Grougi told reporters.

Saint-Etienne have five first-team players out injured but league top scorer Dimitri Payet returns from injury.

Elsewhere, Claude Puel, given a vote of confidence despite a League Cup loss to PSG, will look to lift his Lyon side — currently 14th — back towards the European places with a home win over mid-table Sochaux.

Sunday’s late match sees seventh-placed PSG, who lost 3-2 at home to Auxerre last weekend, travel to sixth-placed Montpellier.

Fixtures

Saturday (1700GMT unless otherwise stated):

Brest v Saint-Etienne, Toulouse v Lens, Caen v Nancy, Lyon v Sochaux, Auxerre v Nice, Lorient v Arles-Avignon, Marseille v Rennes (1900GMT)

Sunday (1600GMT unless otherwise stated):

Valenciennes v Lille, Monaco v Bordeaux, Montpellier v Paris Saint-Germain (2000GMT)