PARIS (AP) — Marseille’s trip to play bitter rival Paris Saint-Germain could prove to be a turning point in Ligue 1.
Marseille is in third place and trails defending champion PSG by nine points and second-placed Lens by seven.
Victory for Marseille on Sunday would drag it back into the title race but a defeat would all but end hopes of winning a first league title since 2010, and open the door for Lyon to move into third spot in the race for a Champions League berth next season.
Marseille’s attack has scored freely and English forward Mason Greenwood is on 22 goals in all competitions.
But while Marseille has outscored even PSG in the league — 46 goals to 43 — the defense is poor and the team panics under pressure, too often giving away soft goals.
Despite all his talk about resolving these glaring issues, coach Roberto De Zerbi still has not done so.
Key matchups
For all of its deficiencies Marseille has competed well against PSG this season.
Marseille beat PSG 1-0 in September and was seconds away from another win in the Champions Trophy last month, until PSG equalized deep in stoppage time and won the penalty shootout.
Lens will move back to the top providing it beats Rennes at home on Saturday and PSG then loses on Sunday.
Resurgent Lyon is level on points with Marseille and trails on goal difference ahead of its trip to Nantes on Saturday. Lyon is on an 11-game winning streak overall, while changing coach has not stopped the rot for a Nantes side languishing in 16th place.
Nice hosts Monaco in the French Riviera derby on Sunday with both sides slowly showing signs of improvement.
Nice has more fight under hard-nosed coach Claude Puel, coming back from 2-0 down in the past two games to draw and win.
Coach Sébastien Pocognoli’s Monaco kept three straight clean sheets ahead of the French Cup game at Strasbourg later Thursday.
Players to watch
Endrick’s loan move from Real Madrid to Lyon is working out even better than expected. With a spectacular goal in the French Cup on Wednesday, the 19-year-old Brazil forward took his Lyon tally to five in five games.
Veteran Nantes goalkeeper Anthony Lopes has the task of stopping Endrick and faces the side for which he made nearly 500 appearances from 2012-24.
Paris FC hopes the signing of veteran striker Ciro Immobile will kickstart a flagging attack. He netted 169 league goals for Lazio during an eight-year spell. During the 2019-20 season he finished as the “Capocannoniere” (top scorer) with 36 goals, beating Cristiano Ronaldo (then with Juventus) to the award.
Overall, the 35-year-old Immobile has 304 goals in 587 club appearances and scored 17 times for Italy.
Out of action
PSG will be without star right back Achraf Hakimi, who is suspended following his red card at Strasbourg last weekend. PSG’s flanks will be weakened without Georgia winger Khvitcha Kvaratskhelia, who has a right ankle injury.
Lyon is waiting to see if midfielder Corentin Tolisso has recovered from a right hamstring injury. The influential midfielder has missed the past three games.
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