PSG vs Marseille – News and Probable Lineups

In pursuit of consecutive Ligue 1 victories against Paris Saint-Germain for the first time since 2011, Marseille will visit the Parc des Princes on Sunday for the 21st round, aiming to achieve a league double in Le Classique.

Roberto De Zerbi’s squad secured a narrow 1-0 win in the earlier encounter, and the third-placed team is now looking to shock the Parisians by reducing their nine-point gap, giving Lens a chance to capitalize on any misstep from Luis Enrique’s side in the title pursuit.

Match overview

De Zerbi’s position was precarious following Marseille’s Champions League elimination at the end of January, yet the Italian head coach has remained in southern France.

The passionate Italian manager leads the Olympians to Paris for Sunday’s Classique, with ambitions to become the first head coach since Didier Deschamps to secure a league double over PSG in a single season since 2009-10.

Marseille missed an opportunity to triumph against their arch-rivals in consecutive meetings after a 15-year wait when both sides clashed in the Trophee des Champions at the start of 2026. A Mason Greenwood equaliser followed by an own goal from Willian Pacho nearly saw Les Olympiens follow up their 1-0 league victory from September with another win.

Nevertheless, Goncalo Ramos scored in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time, denying De Zerbi’s men a rare achievement: defeating PSG in back-to-back matches across all competitions, something that hasn’t been done in over ten years.

Despite the eventual disappointment in the penalty shootout, Marseille can still secure consecutive Ligue 1 wins against PSG for the first time since they recorded victories in March and November 2011, thereby achieving a league double in Le Classique for the first time in 16 seasons, since 2009-10.

However, the team’s recent inconsistent form away from home — with two wins out of five in all competitions — and their overall Ligue 1 record on the road, which has seen them win just 50% of their 10 away fixtures, losing four, may jeopardize their slim title aspirations.

Though overcoming a nine-point deficit remains mathematically feasible, the Olympians must defeat the reigning champions and hope for a nearly flawless conclusion to the season to clinch their first league title since 2010.

PSG’s more immediate focus is on second-placed Lens, who are just two points behind Enrique’s team ahead of this weekend’s fixtures.

With Lens facing sixth-placed Rennes a day earlier on Saturday, Les Parisiens could find themselves in second by the time they kick off in the weekend’s marquee match.

This scenario adds pressure on Enrique’s squad to secure a win, although finishing the round behind Les Sang et Or would not be disastrous in the title race.

Realistically, dropping points in Sunday’s Classique would raise eyebrows, as observers have witnessed PSG defeat Marseille at the Parc des Princes for four consecutive seasons, securing two clean sheets during this period and achieving 4-0 and 3-1 victories in the last two visits from the visitors.

Additionally, Enrique’s squad has amassed six consecutive wins in Ligue 1 since their defeat to Mônaco at the end of November, and the league leaders are aiming for a seventh straight victory to maintain their position at the top of the table after this weekend.

Collecting maximum points against Marseille for the fifth time in a row would virtually eliminate the Olympians from title contention, which would suffice for the time being, even as Lens remain hot on the heels of the Parisians.

Team News

Achraf Hakimi will be unavailable for Sunday’s derby due to suspension following his sending-off last weekend, while the hosts plan to evaluate Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Fabian Ruiz (knee) and Quentin Ndjantou (hamstring) prior to the match.

Although Ousmane Dembele has five goals in Ligue 1, three of those have been critical late efforts, two fewer than the league’s leading scorer Wesley Said, and the Ballon d’Or holder looks to make another significant impact this weekend.

While Bradley Barcola has not produced as many game-changing contributions as Dembele, he leads the PSG home scoring charts, sitting just three goals behind Marseille’s Mason Greenwood, with a total of eight goals in home encounters.

The Marseille striker has achieved a commendable five goals away from home, ranking him joint-third behind Strasbourg’s Joaquin Panichelli (seven) and Lyon’s Pavel Sulc (six) ahead of gameweek 21.

The top scorer in Ligue 1 has scored four match-winning goals — one less than Lens’ Said — showcasing the forward’s clinical ability as he seeks to add to his 13-goal haul in Paris.

De Zerbi has a relatively fit squad for Le Classique, with Nayef Aguerd the only injury concern due to a groin issue.

Paris Saint-Germain probable starting XI:

Safonov; Zaire-Emery, Marquinhos, Pacho, Mendes; Mayulu, Vitinha, Neves; Doue, Dembele, Barcola

Marseille probable starting XI:

Rulli; Weah, Ballery, Medina, Emerson; Hozhbjerg, Timber; Greenwood, Nwaneri, Paixao; Going

PSG have only lost two points at home all season, and are likely to secure their ninth victory in their 10th league match in front of their fans.

History also heavily favors the home side, who have consistently overpowered their rivals at the Parc des Princes in recent years.

Thus, Enrique’s squad should possess enough quality to avenge their defeat in September and preserve their narrow lead over Lens at the top.