PSG look to break Vélodrome cycle

Still reeling from their "worst-ever season", Paris Saint-Germain FC hope that victory in Sunday's 'classique' at Olympique de Marseille can evoke better times.

Heavy burden
PSG have an unusual burden to bear. As the only team from the capital to be playing in France's Ligue 1, they have carried the hopes of Parisian fans for decades. However, that weight of expectation was seldom as onerous as during last season, a campaign described by president Alain Cayzac as PSG's "worst ever".

Miserable results
The death of a PSG supporter in incidents surrounding a UEFA Cup game in November 2006 shocked the whole country, and if that was by far the most dispiriting moment, league results were almost as woeful. PSG finished in a miserable 15th position and their luck did not turn quickly this term – it took until the start of 2008 for Paul Le Guen's men to earn a first home win.

Continental successes
They are now eleventh in the table, and while Marseille are fifth, both are used to having to fight for every point in these matches. Their rivalry stems from the fact they were once the two biggest French clubs and the most successful. Marseille's 1992/93 UEFA Champions League triumph and PSG's 1995/96 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup victory represent the nation's only continental trophies.

Still acute
Although Olympique Lyonnais have dominated the top flight for six seasons now, competition between Marseille and PSG remains fierce. "This game is still very important for everyone," said Cayzac. "The stadium has been sold out for a long time. We are careful what we say in the press beforehand, and it's better like that, but it does not diminish the occasion."

On-field tension
The players can feel the tension too. PSG striker Pauleta said: "Playing Marseille is a different matter entirely. This match is like no other, both for the fans and for the players, because of the rivalry between the sides." The atmosphere was certainly strained on the field when the teams drew 1-1 in Paris earlier in the campaign.

Ominous form
Victories in their two most recent French Cup encounters – including the 2006 final – give PSG some reason for optimism as they seek their first win at the Vélodrome Stadium in seven years. But Erik Gerets's men are in tremendous form, having scored 18 goals in their last six outings – five wins and one defeat, including Wednesday's 3-0 UEFA Cup scalp of FC Spartak Moskva. "Marseille are clear favourites but in a derby anything can happen," said Pauleta. "Then again, they were favourites in the French Cup and we won."