What: French Ligue 1
Who: Paris Saint-Germain vs Marseille
When: Sunday 24th February, 2013, at 20:00 UK Time
Where: Parc des Princes, Paris, France

Ill-Timed Defeat Hampers PSG Title Charge

There was something all too predictable about PSG’s ‘surprise’ defeat to struggling Sochaux last weekend, which gave a timely fillip to both Lyon and this weekend’s opponents Marseille, who were able to close the gap just as they had looked like falling away from the title race. Ancelotti’s side’s 3-2 loss was typical of the kind of match they have been losing all season – when least expected, and usually when they appear to have the title finally in their hands. Prior to the Sochaux game, PSG had conceded just one goal in nine games unbeaten.

The clash with Marseille should be a seminal moment for French football. The eyes of the football world will be on France for once, as Ligue 1 steps out of the shadows of Europe’s richest leagues for one evening for the Clasico of French football, dubbed “Le Clasique”. That will in part be thanks to David Beckham, who has been lined up to make his debut against Les Phoceens. French television channel Canal+ is ready to track the Englishman’s every move as he returns to European football, with the so called ‘Beck’cam’ to follow him throughout proceedings at the Parc des Princes.

Although it could be that Beckham only appears from the bench, a compelling reason has emerged to start him. Lucas Moura, so impressive since arriving from Sao Paulo, and Jeremy Menez are both struggling with injury, while Clement Chantome was poor on the right of midfield against Sochaux. Entrez Beckham? Perhaps, but Marseille have a speedy team and it may be a problem for Ancelotti to fit the former Real Madrid man in on the wing in a 4-4-2 system that will require his wide men to do their fair share of tracking back. Then again, when a team have Zlatan Ibrahimovic, maybe it doesn’t matter at all anyway.

Late Winner Fires Marseille

There is a sense that Marseille are desperately clinging on in this title race, but then they have PSG to thank in part for that, as Ancelotti’s side – like the villain in a movie – refuse to kill off their fiercest rivals when they have the chance. Marseille had taken just five points from five games this calendar year before last weekend’s last gasp win over Valenciennes, achieved thanks to Rod Fanni’s 94th minute strike.

Marseille’s finances meant they were, like fellow title contenders Lyon, stripped of their stars once again in January. Whilst Loic Remy went to England and Queens Park Rangers, they have since also lost Charles Kabore, whose imperious performances for Burkina Faso in the African Cup of Nations attracted the attentions Russian outfit Kuban Krasnodar. His loss is a huge blow to Elie Baup – Kabore had been fantastic for Marseille during their fast start to the Ligue 1 season.

In the absence of Kabore, much pressure will fall on Joey Barton, who has missed both games Marseille have played against PSG this season through his suspension carried over from the Premier League last season. It is the high intensity of a derby and crucial title clash which can bring out both the best and the worst in the fiery Englishman, who has already served a fresh suspension for a red card since his arrival on France’s south coast. If Barton plays well though, he can provide the balance and solidity that Mathieu Valbuena, Andre-Pierre Gignac and Andre Ayew need to shine.
 

Recent form

PSG:
PSG 3-1 Bastia (08/02; Ligue 1)
Valencia 1-2 PSG (12/02; Champions League)
Sochaux 3-2 PSG (17/02; Ligue 1)

Marseille:
Marseille 0-1 Nancy (03/02; Ligue 1)
Evian 1-1 Marseille (10/02; Ligue 1)
Marseille 1-0 Valenciennes (16/02; Ligue 1)

Key absences

PSG: Jeremy Menez (doubt); Lucas Moura (doubt); Thiago Silva (doubt); Mamadou Sakho; Alex

Marseille: Jordan Ayew; Benoit Cheyrou

Players to watch

PSG – Javier Pastore. The Argentine has been an enigma since his arrival in France in the summer of 2011. When on form, Pastore can be close to unplayable, but he has a tendency to find himself stuck in lulls where it is difficult for him to play to his full potential. Right now, Pastore is going through one of his good spells, scoring and setting up goals aplenty with his accurate passing and skilful running. He has revelled in Ancelotti’s stumbled across 4-4-2 system, and with problems on the right for the Parisians, Pastore’s contribution from the left will be vital.

Marseille – Andre Ayew: With brother Jordan missing, Andre will probably take up a position on the left side of the attacking midfield trio who will line up behind Gignac. That means that the speedy Ghanaian could well take advantage of the problems PSG face on the right side of midfield on the counter attack, particularly if Beckham is playing. Ayew had some interesting things to say about Beckham this week, saying that he had never dreamed of playing against the Englishman, and his direct running and goalscoring ability could make this a tough debut for the former LA Galaxy man in Ligue 1. He also has the movement to unsettle the Parisians and unlock their weakened backline.

Match Prediction

With such a solid defensive record of late before last weekend’s defeat, Ancelotti now has defensive problems to consider ahead of this weekend. Having struggled to cope with the movement of Sochaux, PSG are possibly without their main centre-backs of Alex, Thiago Silva and Mamadou Sakho. Zoumana Camara and Sylvain Armand could link up at the back, but they hardly inspire confidence.

It could be helpful for the Parisian defence that Gignac is not the most mobile forward they will come up against, but the former Toulouse man has found his form again this season and he scored twice when these sides met on the south coast of France earlier this season. More worrying for the home team will be the trio of Mathieu Valbuena, Morgan Amalfitano and Ayew, who when on form are as formidable an attacking midfield as a French team can face. They will pose a stern test for Ancelotti, whose 4-4-2 renders them vulnerable in midfield to teams playing 4-2-3-1.

Going forward, there is no doubt what the home team’s tactics will be. Get the ball to Marco Verratti or Beckham so that they can supply inch perfect passes to Ibrahimovic. The Swede has revelled as the heartbeat of the league leaders and while he has 21 goals in 22 games this season, none of his team-mates have more than four goals in the league. For most teams that would be a concern, but Ibrahimovic makes light work of the ‘pressure’ placed on his shoulders. Expect him to dominate proceedings here, although Marseille can pose their rivals some serious problems on the break. PSG 2-1 Marseille.

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