By OkayGoal 
PSG and Marseille go head-to-head in a Ligue 1 Classique at the Parc des Princes on Sunday, with the champions looking to get back to the top of the table and OM aiming to close the gap in the title race.
PSG sit second on 48 points from 20 games, just one point behind leaders Lens although Luis Enrique’s men have one match extra. Marseille are fourth on 39 points after 20 matches.
PSG vs Marseille – Match preview and team news
- Date: Sunday, 8th February.
- Kick-off: 7:45pm BST.
- Venue: Parc Des Princes, Paris.
PSG team news
PSG are without key right-back Achraf Hakimi, who is suspended after his red card in last weekend’s league win and will miss Le Classique as a result.
Midfielder Fabian Ruiz remains sidelined as he continues treatment on a knee problem, while Quentin Ndjantou has undergone surgery on a right hamstring issue and is expected to be out for several months.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has recovered from an ankle injury. He returned to full training on Friday and is back in the squad for the Classique, offering a major boost to Luis Enrique’s attack.
The Spanish coach is expected to continue with Matvey Safonov in goal behind a back four of Warren Zaïre-Emery, Marquinhos, Willian Pacho and Nuno Mendes, with Senny Mayulu, Vitinha and João Neves in midfield and a dynamic front three of Desire Doue, Ousmane Dembélé and Bradley Barcola.
On the eve of the game, Enrique underlined both the importance of the rivalry and the need for composure, stressing that “rivalry matches are important for the standings and, above all, meaningful for the fans” while insisting PSG’s goal is “securing three points to maintain our lead.”
Marseille team news
Marseille travel to Paris with a largely clean bill of health, with centre-back Nayef Aguerd the only major doubt due to a groin issue picked up recently.
Unlike their hosts, OM have no confirmed suspensions, and January signings such as Quinten Timber and Ethan Nwaneri are available to strengthen Roberto De Zerbi’s options.
De Zerbi has been keen to stress both PSG’s strength and his side’s ambition, admitting that “they remain the best team in Europe; they won everything last season… We must be humble while trying to prepare ourselves to win,” underlining that OM will need a “strong collective and individual performance” to upset the champions.
Form
PSG
PSG come into Le Classique on the back of six straight Ligue 1 wins, most recently edging Strasbourg 2-1 away, a run that had them two points clear of Lens at the top, before the weekend, despite a heavy domestic and European schedule.
Their last five competitive games across all competitions read: 2–1 win at Strasbourg, 1–1 home draw with Newcastle United, 1–0 win at Auxerre, 2–1 defeat at Sporting CP and a 3–0 home victory over Lille.
Marseille
Marseille’s recent form has been more erratic, with their last five outings producing a 3–0 home win over Rennes, a 2–2 draw away to Paris FC, a 3–0 defeat at Club Brugge, a 3–1 home win over Lens and a 3–0 loss to Liverpool in the Champions League.
Even so, De Zerbi’s side remains the division’s most prolific attack with 46 league goals, three more than PSG, though they have conceded 22 times compared to the champions’ 16.
Predicted lineups
PSG: Safonov; Zaire-Emery, Marquinhos, Pacho, Mendes; Mayulu, Vitinha, Neves; Doue, Dembele, Barcola.
Marseille: Rulli; Weah, Balerdi, Medina, Emerson; Hojbjerg, Timber; Greenwood, Nwaneri, Paixao; Gouiri.
How to watch PSG vs Marseille?
In the UK, PSG vs Marseille will be shown live on Amazon Prime Video’s Ligue 1 coverage, with additional options via Ligue1+ and OneFootball PPV.
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