Both eliminated without glory from the Champions League this season, Rennes and Marseille meet at Roazhon Park this Wednesday (9 p.m.) to determine who will have the best chance of finding her again next year.
And in this little game, Olympique de Marseille has a small head start.
Five precisely (OM are 5th in Ligue 1 with 27 pts, Rennes is 8th with 22 pts), and even dream of a fate even more golden than the initial objective of returning to the podium at the end of the season. .
"Just by looking at the standings, we see that it takes a victory to be a leader so the motivation comes from itself", observed Pape Gueye at a press conference on Monday.
And for good reason, the Olympians are only two points from the co-leaders Lille and Lyon, and one point from PSG.
Good health in the league which translates into a series of six consecutive victories since mid-October.
A champion's pace.
Two games late at home
"We do not look too much behind or in front of us in the standings, but it is true that we are well positioned, assured the Marseille midfielder, anything is possible."
Especially since the Marseillais have two games late, both at the Vélodrome.
Currently in the comfortable position of the hunters, Steve Mandanda's partners could find themselves in that of the hunted in the event of favorable results during the receptions of Lens and Nice, not the most fit teams at the moment.
André Villas-Boas, who tastes little to the fire, prefers to wait for these two meetings and reserves several weeks before discussing the race for the title: "I wait for the month of March to know, he tempered Wednesday .
At this point, I think we will have played our two late games.
We will be able to reflect on the ambitions. ”
A reflection which will therefore take place after a new test in Rennes, a few days after having passed the one against Monaco (2-1).
A trip that has traditionally been successful in Marseille, which has lost only once in Ligue 1 for twelve years at Roazhon Park (3-2, in September 2016) and which won there at the start of the year on the smaller of the margins (1-0, January 10).
In the opposite camp, Julien Stéphan knows "the difficulty of the task" that awaits his players against the best team in the championship away (16 points taken out of 18 possible).
The Breton technician did not hesitate to make the "best team in shape of the moment" a credible candidate for the title of champion of France: "I believe that they are aiming for the title, and they are right, assured Stéphan Tuesday.
If Paris were to slow down, they are right there, next to them. "
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Villas-Boas monitors PSG irregularity
An observation that joins that of André Villas-Boas, who closely monitors the recent mixed results of PSG in Ligue 1 (a victory in the last four matches).
"We all look at the lack of regularity in Paris," confirmed the Lusitanian.
Normally this can happen later when they are so far ahead that they slow down a bit.
This season, we are all consistent and they are less efficient with a lot of injuries and problems.
It is still too early but the fact that they have slowed down in performance allows others to continue to dream of this possibility. ”
A possibility more than a reality a week before the winter break.
By then, after Rennes, Marseille will receive Reims on Saturday (7 p.m.) before moving to Angers in a week (9 p.m.) and will see more clearly in its ambitions.
"Consistency is decisive in this championship," Villas-Boas repeated after the victory against Monaco on Saturday.
A victory which bears the seal Florian Thauvin and Dario Benedetto, rid of their European ills.
With their return to the highest level, André Villas-Boas could consider playing the spoilsport and thus aim very high.
See you in March to take stock.
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League 1 standings
