Marseille look for way out of crisis against bitter rivals Lyon

Outside Paris Saint-Germain's campaign to ward off Lens and secure another Ligue 1 championship, Marseille and Lyon are locked in a battle for the final direct entry to Champions League qualifiers, set to clash in a pivotal encounter this Sunday.

Paris Saint-Germain's firm grip on French football, claiming 11 league crowns over the previous 13 campaigns, has positioned the contest between the sides from France's second and third most populous urban centres as the top rivalry in Ligue 1 at present.

Marseille last lifted the trophy in 2010, whereas Lyon claimed their seventh consecutive title in 2008.

For these teams, qualifying for the Champions League often represents the peak achievement nowadays, although Lyon has been absent from Europe's top tournament since their semi-final appearance in 2020.

Nevertheless, Lyon appears poised to earn a spot this term, thanks to a streak of seven consecutive league triumphs that has lifted them past a struggling Marseille into third position.

The top three positions in Ligue 1 earn straight passage to the Champions League group stage, while fourth place requires navigating two preliminary rounds.

Lyon, who previously notched 13 victories across all competitions prior to a 3-1 setback against Strasbourg last weekend, hold a five-point lead over fourth-placed Marseille ahead of their trip to the Velodrome to meet their adversaries on Sunday.

"This is not a major setback, we need to take it in our stride," remarked Lyon manager Paulo Fonseca following that recent fixture.

"We cannot expect to triumph in every match through to the season's close. We are not some invincible outfit," noted the 52-year-old Portuguese coach, whose initial outing managing Lyon was a 3-2 reverse at Marseille exactly a year earlier.

While he remains composed for the moment, the mood at Marseille is far from calm, with the club failing to secure a win in any of their four Ligue 1 outings since exiting the Champions League at the group stage conclusion in late January.

Roberto De Zerbi's tenure as manager concluded after a 5-0 thrashing by PSG on February 8, and new appointee Habib Beye suffered a 2-0 defeat at Brest in his opening match last weekend.

Marseille have garnered only eight points from seven league fixtures in 2026 and urgently need to reverse this trend, as missing out on Champions League participation would severely affect their budget.

"The current downward spiral has naturally eroded player morale. It is impacting the squad," observed Beye prior to leading his team to a training retreat in Marbella, Spain, this week.

Player to watch: Esteban Lepaul

The Rennes forward's stunning goal during a 3-0 success at Auxerre last weekend marked his third score in as many outings, aiding Franck Haise in launching his tenure as Brittany club's coach with a victory.

Lepaul, aged 25, has tallied 12 goals in Ligue 1 this campaign, including one for Angers before switching to Rennes via an estimated 15 million-euro ($17.7m) move in late August.

Only Marseille's Mason Greenwood with 14, and Strasbourg's Joaquin Panichelli on 13, have bettered Lepaul's haul in Ligue 1 this term, with the ex-Lyon youth product whose parent Fabrice secured the title with Auxerre in 1996, prior to his passing in a vehicle collision in 2020.

Key stats

3 - Marseille have triumphed in their past three home clashes against Lyon, suffering defeat in only one of the preceding six.

6 - A mere six points divide five clubs vying for European spots, ranging from fourth-placed Marseille to eighth-positioned Monaco.

9 - Ex-PSG manager Antoine Kombouare will helm Paris FC for the debut time against Nice. This marks the ninth top-tier French club under his stewardship.

Fixtures (times GMT)

Friday

Strasbourg v Lens (1945)

Saturday

Rennes v Toulouse (1600), Monaco v Angers (1800), Le Havre v Paris Saint-Germain (2005)

Sunday

Paris FC v Nice (1400), Lille v Nantes, Lorient v Auxerre, Metz v Brest (all 1615), Marseille v Lyon (1945)