Paris Saint-Germain take on Olympique de Marseille at Parc des Princes on Sunday in the first instalment of Le Classique this season. Les Parisiens beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 at home in their UEFA Champions League opener while Les Phoceens drew 3-3 away at Ajax in the UEFA Europa League. Making that result in the Netherlands all the more impressive was the fact that an OM leadership meeting with ultras went wrong and ended with head coach Marcelino leaving Stade Velodrome which means Marseille are without a boss in Paris this weekend.
Jacques Abardonado was on the bench in Amsterdam and will also be present for Le Classique which will be Luis Enrique's introduction to French soccer's most fierce rivalry. OM are actually unbeaten so far this season in Ligue 1 and are above PSG in the early season table which adds a bit more spice to the occasion. That on top of the fact that Marseille have actually picked up a few good results in recent years after being thoroughly dominated at times since Qatar's acquisition of the capital club.
"Once you join a club it does not take long to realize which games mean the most and motivate the fans, players and club as a whole," said Luis Enrique on Saturday ahead of the rivalry matchup. "We are preparing for it as we would any other game, but we are particularly attentive to the emotional aspect -- collectively as well as individually. The circumstances are a bit unique, but it can happen. It is true that we analyzed a lot of OM under Marcelino, but it is now Abardonado in charge. We expect some things from their last game, but also a few strategic changes."
"It was enjoyable to face great PSG sides as a young Marseille player and we will go there to try to get a result," added Abardonado who debuted professionally with OM and hails from Marseille itself. "I want a team that is in my image -- aggressive, but keen to actually play. Every game has its own story and Paris is one of the European giants and above the Ajax side we just faced. We know what we must do."
There are no away fans in either fixture so this will be an entirely home atmosphere which will suit the French champions as they start to look like a team under Luis Enrique. Kylian Mbappe has scored a scarcely believable eight goals so far this season with PSG and will hope to underline his good record against OM. It could even turn into a record if he scores twice or more given that he only trails Zlatan Ibrahimovic's all-time Classique record of 11, by just two more goals.
"They did well against Ajax -- it was a good game," added Luis Enrique. "They are unbeaten in Ligue 1. I hope that we see a better version of PSG and that we are superior to our opponents. This will be a very high level game. The relationship between the players and the fans is truly essential. It motivates us for home games at Parc des Princes. However, we need to offer them more -- a desire to play good soccer regardless of the result."
Here's our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
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How to watch and odds
- Date: Sunday, September 24 | Time: 2:45 p.m. ET
- Location: Parc des Princes -- Paris, France
- TV: beIN Sports | Live stream: Fubo
- Odds: PSG -167; Draw: +340; Marseille +380
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Team news
PSG: Presnel Kimpembe, Sergio Rico, Nuno Mendes and Marco Asensio are all expected to miss out injured. Ousmane Dembele and Randal Kolo Muani started in attack against Dortmund ahead of a midfield base of Warren Zaire-Emery, Manuel Ugarte and Vitinha. Goncalo Ramos, Danilo Pereira and Lee Kang In did come on but the South Korean is now on Asian Games international duty.
Potential PSG XI: Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Skriniar, Hernandez; Zaire-Emery, Ugarte, Vitinha; Dembele, Kolo Muani, Mbappe.
Marseille: Pedro Ruiz and Ismaila Sarr will be missing for Abardonado which will not make his job any easier. However, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is likely to lead the attack once more after scoring twice against Ajax in midweek. "We need solidarity and desire," remarked Abardonado ahead of the challenging trip to Paris. "It is a beautiful game and we must not forget that we have quality in this squad. We have a few different setups in mind. We will try to be as efficient as possible in Paris. They are one of the best sides in Europe."
Potential Marseille XI: Lopez; Clauss, Mbemba, Balerdi, Lodi; Mughe, Rongier, Veretout, Correa; Oliviera, Aubameyang.
Prediction
Marseille did well to draw in Amsterdam but the pressure around Le Classique is totally different and the circumstance should play into PSG's hands. Expect the hosts to build on their win over Dortmund with a victory which will lift them above OM in the Ligue 1 standings. Pick: PSG 3, Marseille 1.
