PSG vs Olympique de Marseille: 5 Le Classique encounters you need to remember

On Sunday night the latest edition of 'Le Classique' will take place: a match that represents the biggest rivalry between not just the two biggest clubs in Ligue Un, but the two biggest cities in France. In preparation for this, let's take a walk back in time through some of the epic encounters that have brought the two sides against each other in recent years.

Top 5 Le Classique clash PSG vs Olympique de Marseille

5) Marseille 0-3 PSG, 26th February 2023:

A game that took place in front of an absolutely boiling Stade Velodrome, as the Marseille faithful were hoping to win a second consecutive 'Classique' after their win in the Coupe de France a few weeks earlier.

The vociferous crowd were left disappointed, however, as the match represented arguably the pinnacle of Lionel Messi's mixed time in France, as he dominated the show, linking up brilliantly with the electric Kylian Mbappe; they combined to score two first half counterattacking goals. First, Messi set up Mbappe with a through ball from deep, before the Frenchman returned the favour for the PSG's second.

Marseille fought tooth and nail to get back into the game, but a brilliant third goal from the visitors in the second half, which saw Messi dink a perfect pass to Mbappe who volleyed home first time, saw the win sealed for the Parisians, and all but confirmed that Christophe Galtier's side would retain the Ligue Un title.

4) PSG 0-1 Marseille, 13th September 2020:

The last time that OM were victorious over their biggest rivals in the league was during lockdown in a fiery encounter at the Parc des Princes that saw no fewer than five red cards. Florian Thauvin's first half goal came against the run of play, as the recent Champions League finalists PSG dominated the early exchanges.

An ongoing battle throughout the game between Parisian star Neymar Jr and Marseille centre half Álvaro González boiled over in stoppage time, as the game descended into a massive brawl - with Neymar among the five players dismissed, along with PSG teammates Layvin Kurzawa and Leandro Paredes, and Marseille players Jordan Amavi and Dario Benedetto.

The game was then overshadowed by Neymar's accusations against González of racist abuse. An extremely bad tempered encounter that showed the ugly side of rivalry in football - and was the first victory in the league for Marseille over their rivals in 16 encounters.

3) Marseille 2-2 PSG, 22nd October 2017:

Another extremely heated encounter at the Velodrome between the two sides - this time one of the most hotly anticipated 'Classiques' ever, as it was the debut in the fixture for the two most expensive players of all time, Neymar Jr and Kylian Mbappe. Both were received with extreme hostility by the home fans, who threw paper money and other projectiles at the two Parisians every time they approached the sidelines.

The game itself was also a thrilling one: Marseille midfielder Luis Gustavo scored an absolutely sensational opening goal, a thirty yard strike that curved past Alphonse Areola and into the side netting, sending the Velodrome into a frenzy. Fifteen minutes later, Neymar made his first mark on a 'Le Classique', drifting into the box and firing a low shot into the bottom corner of the net. The second half saw more drama, as Marseille regained a well earned lead, with Florian Thauvin making a brilliant run across the box to fire home after good work on the wing by substitute Clinton Njie.

The game became even more heated in the next minutes, as a frustrated Neymar was shown two yellow cards in quick succession for reacting aggressively to being fouled. Marseille seemed set for what would have been a famous victory, but there was, of course, another twist, as the last kick of the game saw Uruguayan striker and PSG legend Edinson Cavani curl a free kick into Steve Mandanda's net, off the bar. The wild celebrations that ensued silenced the velodrome and sent Marseille fans home disappointed once again.

2) Marseille 2-4 PSG, 21st May 2016:

Zlatan Ibrahimovic's final game for PSG saw him take on Marseille in the final of the Coupe de France, the first 'Le Classique' final in ten years. The highly anticipated fixture certainly didn't take long to get interesting, as Blaise Matuidi turned a brilliant outside of the foot cross from Angel Di Maria into the back of the net after only two minutes.

Marseille did fight their way back into the final, with Florian Thauvin managing to turn sharply and fire home an equaliser just ten minutes later. From that point on, the big Swede Ibrahimovic turned the game into his very own farewell party, slotting home a penalty to restore PSG's lead before assisting Edinson Cavani for the third.

Ibrahimovic, through on goal again, then finished calmly past Steve Mandanda to score the last of his 156 goals for PSG (as well as his fiftieth of the season). A late consolation from Michy Batshuayi proved inconsequential, as the Parisians won yet another domestic trophy at the expense of their rivals.

1) Marseille 3-0 PSG, 27th November 2011:

An interesting piece of history as it was the first 'Classique' to be played after the Qatari takeover of Paris Saint Germain, and thus at the moment of the shift in power within French football towards the club from the capital. Even just by looking at the PSG line-up from the game, it is a far cry from the star-studded teams that they were able to field in the following seasons, with an all French front two of Jeremy Menez and Kevin Gameiro.

Loic Remy, Morgan Amalfitano and André Ayew scored for the home side, who cruised to a comfortable win - symbolically appropriate as it is still the last time that Marseille have triumphed over their rivals at the Velodrome in the league. They will hope to put an end to that awful streak in Sunday's encounter.

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