Paris Saint-Germain vs Marseille H2H – Sunday night will see 2023/24’s first instalment of one of Ligue 1’s fiercest and most historic rivalries: Paris Saint-Germain vs Marseille, or Le Classique as it is often dubbed.
Due to the ferocity of such encounters. Marseille have a dismal recent record against PSG, and will be desperate to get one over their rivals after making the stronger start to this season.
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Paris Saint-Germain vs Marseille H2H Record
Historically, this has been a fairly even contest, with 49 wins for PSG, 35 for Marseille and 21 draws since the two giants first met in 1971. After the Parisian side were purchased by Qatar Sports Investments in early 2011 and subsequent heavy investment in the club, honours have been far less even. PSG have notched 23 wins to their great rivals' five in this period.
The picture is even bleaker for Marseille when looking at their record away in Paris, away from the encouragement of their vociferous and passionate supporters. Since 2011, they have only managed one win at Parc des Princes, a 1-0 win in the notoriously topsy-turvy 2020/21 season that was played amid the coronavirus lockdowns which ended 8 vs 9 as Neymar, Layvin Kurzawa and Jordan Amavi all saw red.
Such is the bad blood between the sides, that Marseille supporters will not be allowed to attend this game for yet another season. As such, Marseille will look to draw upon the spirit of their most recent win over PSG, which takes the form of last season’s 2-1 home victory in the Coupe de France.
A clash of two decorated sides
Both Marseille and PSG have vast trophy cabinets, as the two biggest clubs in France. Domestically speaking, Marseille have 9 Ligue 1 titles, 10 Coupes de France, and 3 now-defunct Coupe de la Ligue trophies. For many years, these were records. But PSG and their Qatari ownership have stamped their dominance on French football so authoritatively that Les Parisiens have snatched all of these records and taken them back to Paris.
That haul contains: 11 Ligue 1 titles, 14 Coupes de France, and 9 Coupe de la Ligue trophies. Marseille are also on a drought of 13 seasons without a league crown. PSG by contrast, have won 9 of the last 11.
So domestically, PSG have an unassailable grip on bragging rights when it comes to silverware. But, Marseille do possess one thing PSG have never managed, despite over €1,500,000,000 spent in the transfer market since 2011: The UEFA Champions’ League, unquestionably the biggest trophy in European football. Try as they might, Les Parisiens have never been able to match their great rivals' famous triumph in 1992/93's inaugural edition.
Paris Saint-Germain vs Marseille Top Goalscorer H2H
Marseille’s top scorer in this fixture is the long-retired striker Hervé Florès, who notched five for them between 1975 and 1982. Unfortunately, new star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has only scored a single goal in eight previous matches against PSG, largely from his time at Saint-Etienne.
Marseille supporters will be relieved that this fixture’s all-time top scorer, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, has ridden off into a Milanese sunset. The Swede managed 11 goals in this fixture in just four years at PSG.
They will, however, be looking nervously at the next name on the top-scorer’s list: the irrepressible Kylian Mbappé. The record-breaking Frenchman already has nine goals in this fixture at just 24, and will be gunning for Zlatan’s record. He is in the form to do so, as he is boasting an eye-wateringly good record of seven goals in just 310 Ligue 1 minutes this season.
Our prediction
Despite being a side in transition, we're calling a 2-1 win for PSG.
