This Sunday evening, all eyes in French football will be on the Stade Vélodrome as Olympique de Marseille hosts Paris Saint-Germain in one of Ligue 1’s most anticipated clashes — the French Clasico. While OM may not carry the weight of its glory years, the fixture remains a marquee event in European football, drawing attention far beyond France’s borders.
At a press conference on Friday, Cameroonian defender Nicolas Nkoulou laid out Marseille’s approach and expressed hope that his team can finally secure a home victory over the Parisians.
“It’s a season that hasn’t gone exactly as we hoped, but there are still matches ahead. This one can allow us to turn things in a positive direction. Anything is possible, and we’ll play it with determination. I hope we can finally break this home curse,” Nkoulou said.
Facing a PSG side that remains undefeated in Ligue 1 this season, Nkoulou acknowledged the challenge but insisted OM has the tools to compete.
“There’s a strong team in front of us, so we’ll need to be careful. But we believe in ourselves and have the weapons to put in a good performance. It’s a great challenge. They seem invincible, which makes us even more determined to break that barrier. Football is about matches like this,” he explained.
Nkoulou emphasized the importance of a collective effort, stressing that no single PSG player stands out as a greater threat than the team as a whole. “We have to pay attention to the entire team. It’s frustrating to see the gap between PSG and us, but it’s not discouraging. To improve, we have to beat the best. We may be starting from behind, but we’ll fight with our weapons and make it a tough evening for them,” he added.
Marseille will hope to replicate the promising signs they showed in the first leg, using their home advantage to put pressure on the league leaders and possibly claim a historic win over the Parisians.
