Marseille look to cut the gap in title rivals' absence

Roberto De Zerbi's second-placed Marseille can cut the gap to Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain when they take on Le Havre on Sunday, with the champions and third-placed Monaco occupied by the Champions Trophy in Qatar.

Marseille trail PSG by 10 points as the French league returns from its winter break, and are level on 30 points with Monaco.

But the south coast side have played one less match than both of their title rivals and can move outright into second place with the visit of lowly Le Havre this weekend.

De Zerbi's side dropped points with a 1-1 draw against Lille in their last league outing, which ended a run of three consecutive wins as they hauled themselves back into title contention after their promising start to life under the Italian tailed off in the autumn.

"To be a good team, you have to be able to overcome difficulties," Marseille coach De Zerbi said after his team beat Saint-Etienne 4-0 in the cup on December 22.

"We've had quite a difficult start to the season at the Velodrome (Marseille's home ground) but, after our performances against Monaco (2-1 win) and Lille (1-1), I think we're really on the right track."

They have the chance to continue on that track in 2025 by laying down a statement at the Velodrome against relegation-threatened Le Havre.

The second-bottom side have the third-worst defensive record in the French top flight, with 29 goals conceded in 15 outings.

While only table-toppers PSG have scored more than Marseille in Ligue 1, with Mason Greenwood's 10 goals and Luis Henrique's six leading the way for the 1993 European Cup winners.

Monaco and PSG are not in league action this week as they play in the Champions Trophy, where last year's second-place finishers in the league will take on the French domestic double winners.

The one-off match will take place in Doha, with Qatar-backed PSG the favourites to win the trophy for the third year running.

"The business end of the season starts now, we're doing well in Ligue 1 and in the domestic cup, in the Champions League we've got everything to play for," said PSG captain Marquinhos.

"We've got some great matches to win, that gives us motivation."

Elsewhere, fourth-placed Lille can draw level on points with Monaco when they host Nantes in Ligue 1 on Saturday.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Seko Fofana

The 29-year-old midfielder could make his debut for Rennes against Nice on Friday after joining the Bretons in the January transfer window from Saudi club Al Nassr, where he played alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.

Fofana captained Lens to a second-placed finish and qualification for the Champions League in 2023, before making an unsuccessful move to Saudi Arabia.

With Rennes only four points above the drop zone, Fofana's drive from midfield could be the catalyst needed to turn around the fortunes of Jorge Sampaoli's side in the second half of the season.

KEY STATS

2.92 - The average number of goals per match in Ligue 1 in 2024 was the highest over the period of a calendar year since 1979, as per Opta statisticians.

0 - PSG are undefeated in the league going into the second half of the season.

11 - Lille's Canadian striker Jonathan David is the top scorer in the league with 11 goals.

FIXTURES (times GMT)

Friday

Nice v Rennes (20h00)

Saturday

Saint-Etienne v Reims (16h00), Lille v Nantes (1800), Lyon v Montpellier (20h00)

Sunday

Angers v Brest, Lens v Toulouse, Strasbourg v Auxerre (all 1400), Marseille v Le Havre (19h45)