Marseille, France (SportsNetwork.com) - Two of the top three clubs in Ligue 1 will clash on Sunday in a game with massive title implications as Paris Saint- Germain travel to the Stade Velodrome to face Marseille in the latest edition of Le Classique.
PSG, the two-time defending league champions come into the game looking for a second consecutive win in league play following a disappointing 3-2 loss to Bordeaux on March 15.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic buried a pair of goals against Bordeaux, but Diego Rolan's 88th-minute strike proved to be the winner. But things went much more positively for Laurent Blanc's club in their last league outing, a 3-1 victory over Lorient on March 20.
Again it was Ibrahimovic providing all the offense for Les Parisiens as the Swedish international bagged a hat trick with goals in the fourth, 82nd and 90th minutes.
"We could have made the game safe inside the opening 20 minutes, but then Lorient began to believe in their chances, which is normal," said Blanc. "Fortunately, we stepped back on the accelerator and we finished well. We would have preferred to have made the game safe, but we didn't manage to do that."
"We started well by opening the scoring very early. We had chances to make it 2-0 and even 3-0, but we didn't do it in the end," added defender Gregory Van der Wiel. "But tonight was all about the three points, which are crucial at this time in the season."
Marseille enters Sunday's tilt in third place with 57 points, two behind PSG and in good form going four straight without a loss across all competitions.
Marseille's last league encounter was a 4-0 rout over Lens on March 22. Michy Batshuayi scored on either side of the intermission to go with goals from Alaixys Romao and Andre Ayew.
A win for Marseille could take the club into first place in the table, depending on other results, while a win for PSG would extend the club's lead over Marseille to five points with seven games remaining in the campaign.
Also in Ligue 1 this weekend, second-place Lyon travels to the Stade du Roudourou to face Guingamp on Saturday. Lyon will be aiming to bounce back from a 2-1 loss to Nice in league play on March 21.
Three points for Lyon would temporarily move the club into first place, two points clear of PSG prior to Le Classique on Sunday.
Also on Saturday, Lille hosts Reims at the Grand Stade Lille Metropole, Lorient welcomes Rennes to the Stade du Moustoir, while Metz hosts Toulouse.
Montpellier battles Bastia at the Stade de la Mosson, while Nice hosts Evian at the Stade Municipal du Ray.
Additionally on Sunday, Bordeaux hosts Lens at the Stade Chaban-Delmas, while Nantes welcomes Caen to the Stade de la Beaujoire.
Friday's fixture saw Mevlut Erdinc and Anthony Martial trade goals as Saint Etienne and Monaco played to a 1-1 draw at the Stade Louis II
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