Marseille have gone from cruising towards Champions League qualification to suddenly finding themselves engaged in something of a dogfight, but Roberto De Zerbi is hoping his team can withstand the pressure and secure a return to Europe’s top table.
Paris Saint-Germain have already been confirmed as Ligue 1 champions for the fourth season running and now have a weekend off to prepare for the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Aston Villa.
The focus in France is therefore now fully on the fight below PSG to see who will join them in next season’s Champions League, with at least six teams in contention for two automatic qualifying slots and one in the preliminary rounds.
Marseille are second, two points above Monaco in third before going to the principality on Saturday to renew a longstanding rivalry.
Meanwhile Strasbourg, Lyon, Nice and Lille are all within three points of Monaco, each ready to take advantage of slip-ups by the teams above them this weekend.
Strasbourg and Nice play each other on Saturday, while Lille and Lyon face difficult away trips, the latter going to Auxerre ahead of their Europa League quarter-final second leg away to Manchester United.
Even Brest and Lens may yet have a say in the race for European places, but it is Marseille who draw the most attention.
In mid-February, 22 games into the season, Marseille were six points clear in second place, and 10 points ahead of Lyon in sixth.
They appeared to be easing to Champions League qualification, only to then lose four of their next five matches.
De Zerbi’s fury with his team led to reports in sports daily L’Equipe that the Marseille squad were on the brink of a mutiny, with forward Neal Maupay forced to deny claims that the players had refused to train.
Former Brighton coach De Zerbi admitted he had been “annoyed” with his team but insisted he was in his element in the frequently explosive atmosphere at the Velodrome.
The Italian got a reaction as Marseille beat Toulouse 3-2 last weekend, with Mason Greenwood and Adrien Rabiot both scoring marvellous goals.
“I am satisfied when the team gives everything. We can lose, we can win, we can make mistakes but we must give everything,” he said after Marseille moved back up to second.
There is now possibly just as much pressure on Monaco, who lost 2-1 in Brest last time out and will slip five points behind Marseille if they lose at the Stade Louis II.
The two clubs who dominated the French game in the late 1980s and early 1990s are both banking on Champions League football next season.
“The most important thing is that we have our future in our own hands,” said Monaco coach Adi Huetter.
“It is up to us to seize the opportunity.”
Player to watch: Mason Greenwood
The Englishman lost his place in the Marseille team just before last month’s international break, despite being their leading scorer this season.
However, he was recalled for the 3-1 defeat at Reims at the end of March and played a starring role in last week’s win against Toulouse with a marvellous goal to put his side ahead in the second half on their way to a 3-2 victory.
De Zerbi will surely keep faith in the former Manchester United player for the trip to Monaco, with Greenwood’s tally of 16 Ligue 1 goals this season bettered only by PSG’s Ousmane Dembele, who has 21.
Key stats
5 – The number of points separating the six teams from Marseille in second to Lille in seventh
6 – Strasbourg are chasing a sixth straight win when they host Nice. They have also conceded just six goals in their last 11 Ligue 1 games
9 – Bottom club Montpellier are on a run of nine consecutive defeats
Fixtures (times GMT)
Friday
Lens v Reims (1845)
Saturday
Monaco v Marseille (1500), Toulouse v Lille (1700), Strasbourg v Nice (1905)
Sunday
Saint-Etienne v Brest (1300), Le Havre v Rennes, Angers v Montpellier (both 1515), Auxerre v Lyon (1845)
Tuesday, April 22
Nantes v Paris Saint-Germain (1845)
