Thanks to a 3-2 win away at Toulouse FC last weekend, Marseille remained hot on the heels of Ligue 1 leaders Paris-Saint-Germain at the end of the 24th gameweek. They have 52 points on the board, compared to PSG’s 57. According to Opta, that is Marseille’s best ever points tally at this stage in the season.
Les Olympiens will have entered the game slighly disheartened after PSG managed to claw back a late win against LOSC Lille earlier in the day. Behind (3-2) at the 86th minute, two late goals from Kylian Mbappé (87′) and Lionel Messi (90+5′) were enough to resuscitate Les Parisiens to collect three valuable points. With Le Classique playing out today, PSG could have entered next weekend’s top-of-the-league clash with just two points separating them in the table.
Marseille also endured a nervous finish to their game, albeit from a winning position. They went behind early, thanks to a Thijs Dallinga goal in the third minute, but took the reins during the second half and registered three goals to put them clear of Le Téfécé. They were shaken by an Ado Onaiwu goal in the 87th minute, but managed to keep their opposition at bay to retain their 2nd-place position. A loss for Marseille would have seen them leapfrogged by Mediterranean rivals AS Monaco, who also won earlier on Sunday.
After coming last in Champions League Group D, Marseille are out of European competition this season. But their determination for glory in domestic competitions remains undeterred. After their match against PSG tonight, they face Ligue 2’s Annecy in the Coupe de France quarter-final three days later – a competition that they have not won since 1989.
GFFN | Brendan Cox
