Paris Saint-Germain host Marseille in France’s fiercest rivalry Sunday night with the capital club hoping to have Edinson Cavani back to help them see off their resurgent opponents.
Laurent Blanc’s PSG side have had a superb last 10 days, crushing Bayer Leverkusen 4-0 in the Champions League and then beating Toulouse 4-2 away last Sunday to maintain their five-point lead over Monaco at the top of the Ligue 1 table.
Since then they have been boosted by the news that France midfielder Blaise Matuidi has finally put pen to paper on a new contract tying him to the Parc des Princes until 2018.
Now there is real hope that Uruguay striker Cavani will be able to make his comeback after four weeks on the sidelines with a thigh injury.
“The objective is to have him at our disposal against Marseille,” revealed Blanc.
“We will have to see how the injury evolves, but when I see him in training I think he is close to being ready. In any case, we are not going to take any risks, but things are on the right track.”
Bitter rivals Marseille come into the ‘Classique’ boosted by their recent improved form under interim coach Jose Anigo, which has reignited their hopes of finishing in the top three and qualifying for next season’s Champions League.
Inspired by Andre-Pierre Gignac, who has scored 12 times in 13 games, OM have won three and drawn two of their last five league matches.
That run of results has allowed them to close to within three points of Lille, who remain on the podium despite a poor start to 2014.
Now, though, Marseille must try to end a sequence of four successive defeats in all competitions against their old foes.
“It is a really exciting match, but to get a result against Paris would be a massive achievement for us,” said midfielder Alaixys Romao.
“If we raise our game than why can’t we win? We have improved over the last few weeks and are defending better.
“It will be difficult but over one game who knows. Paris don’t intimidate me. They play good football so you just hope to show that you can compete at their level.”
Fixtures (all times 1900 GMT unless noted):
Sunday
Ajaccio v Lille (1300), Lyon v Montpellier (1600), Paris Saint-Germain v Marseille (2000)