Although it's only a bit over 40 years old - the first clash between Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique Marseille took place on December 12, 1971 - Le Classique, as it's known to French football fans, is among the most passionate derbies in world football. Les Parisiens and Les Phocéens are the only teams to have tasted European success and prior to the arrival of Lille on the scene, had enjoyed a comfortable dominance as the two strongest teams in France.
This season's edition, however, will feature two teams with vastly contrasting fortunes. One side are flying high and brimming with confidence having won or drawn all of their league matches whilst the other are floundering and devoid of confidence after winning just two out of their first eight games. And if PSG are enjoying European action, with two wins out of two, Marseille have not been as fortunate as they will be coming into this match having lost their Europa League encounter midweek.
PSG
With 20 points, six wins, and two draws, Laurent Blanc's men indeed have been an excellent vein of form as they seek to make it four consecutive league titles. Since re-emerging on the Ligue 1 scene after winning the league title in 2013 - their first in 19 years - Sunday's hosts have firmly established themselves as France's top side and will hope to match that same domestic success with some silverware in European competition in the not-too-distant future.
At this juncture, PSG's upcoming opponents are closer to the relegation zone than a title-seeking place, but nonetheless this match is always a special one for the fans and players. Last season saw them earn all six points and having outscored their opponents by 17 goals to four, they will be the clear favorites to keep building on their lead at the top of the table. In fact, Marseille have failed to beat Sunday's hosts in any of their past nine meetings, and in the current form they are in presently, don't look like to buck that trend.
Although Zlatan Ibrahimovic has not been as prolific as he has been over his career, Edinson Cavani appears to be a man reborn, with six goals for the club in league play thus far and forming a good understanding with Angel Di Maria, who also seems to have finally settled after a frustrating spell with Manchester United. With this being the final Ligue 1 match prior to the international break, Blanc will surely hope to cap off what has been an excellent opening two months for his side with a derby win in front of the team's home fans.
Olympique Marseille
Meanwhile, if PSG are enjoying some smooth sailing, Marseille still are weathering the storm. This past summer saw a managerial merry-go-round, with Marcelo Bielsa making way for Franck Passi before Michel was finally installed. Unfortunately, the Spanish tactician has not enjoyed his debut season at the Stade Velodrome. Not only are they win-less in their past four games, but also have just eight points and this will be highly frustrating for fans, who witnessed their team come out flying last season before suffering a shocking collapse to scrape into fourth place.
Georges-Kevin N'Koudou will be the notable absentee for Michel's side, and may not be able to feature due to a groin injury. Despite the bad track record for Marseille, a win will surely lift the spirits of the team and their supporters should they manage to disrupt PSG's excellent form.
Will PSG continue to lead the way and extend their unbeaten streak to nine matches? Or will Marseille finally stop their downward slide towards the bottom of the table?
This is one of the biggest matches in Ligue 1, and you definitely don't want to miss out! We've got you covered here at LiveSoccerTV.com, so make sure you bookmark our special PSG vs. Olympique Marseille page for the first Classique of the 2015/2016 season.
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