The Olympique Marseille v Paris Saint-Germain football rivalry is known by two names, Le Classique and the Derby de France. This is not a rivalry born from proximity, as many are. The two teams are located in cities in different regions of France. It is, instead, a social and cultural rivalry, as Olympique Marseille represents the working class people and port city of Marseille and Paris Saint-Germain is seen as being associated with the ultimate bastion of French society and culture, Paris. It is Marseille, the power center of the south, versus Paris the capital city in the north.
PSG
The research group CIES Football Observatory have just released its most valuable squads in the transfer market from Europe’s top-five leagues, and it is the current European and World Champions who now sit top the pile.
The Liverpool squad is now worth a whopping €1.4 billion (£1.27 billion), which puts them ahead of every other club on the continent. Second is Premier League rival Manchester City at €1.36b.
Spanish giants Barcelona (€1.17b) and Real Madrid (€1.1b) are third and fourth respectively, with Chelsea shockingly in fifth place (€1.08b) despite having been banned from signing players in last summer’s transfer window.
Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday night will be played behind closed doors due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Barcelona and Napoli also face playing in an empty stadium as their last-16 second leg at the Nou Camp next week is under threat.
There were fears the PSG tie, at the Parc des Princes, would be postponed at this late stage as French government have placed a ban on gatherings of more than 1,000 people.
But Paris police confirmed it will go ahead at the 48,000-capacity stadium. Thomas Tuchel’s side head into the tie trailing 2-1 from the first leg in Germany.
Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar is the top transfer target for Barcelona this summer, according to both Diario Sport and El Mundo Deportivo.
Neymar failed in his attempts to force through a move back to the Catalan giants last year after becoming frustrated with life in Paris.
But according to the Spanish newspaper, Neymar is still determined to return to Barca amid a ‘climate of tension’ between him and his fellow Brazilian Leonardo.
The former Santos forward left the Camp Nou for Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2017 for a world record €222m fee, but reports continue to suggest he may be open to a departure from the Parisians.
Paris Saint-Germain will look to win another Ligue One title this year, but for PSG being Champions of France is not the ultimate goal. That is to win the Champions League and be called the Champions of Europe. Will that happen for PSG this season? We have Paris Saint-Germain tickets for all the big games as PSG look for glory domestically and in Europe.
Frequently Asked Questions About Buying Paris Saint-Germain Tickets
Where to buy Paris Saint Germain football tickets? Paris St Germain Official Website. Book at psg.fr. All tickets for PSG home games are sold for the ‘local’ section of the stadium (i.e. where all the tourists will be gathered). If you don’t want to sit with the tourists, you can select from the tickets below.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp recently ‘spent an hour on the phone discussing a possible move to Paris Saint-Germain with the club’s sporting director Leonardo’ before insisting he is happy at Anfield.
According to French outlet Le10Sport, Leonardo reached out to Klopp to sound him out about taking over the reins with current boss Thomas Tuchel under increasing pressure.
Tuchel guided PSG to the Ligue 1 title last term but club chiefs are desperate to win the Champions League, and the German is expected to be axed if he cannot deliver it this season.
Chelsea could well find themselves on a collision course with Barcelona in the last-16 of the Champions League with that the most likely outcome from Monday’s draw.
A calculation of the probabilities of each pairing shows that Liverpool and Manchester City are most likely to face a trip to Madrid to play either Real or Atletico.
Tottenham, meanwhile, will be thrilled if they avoid the likes of Barcelona, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain and pull out their most likely tie against Valencia.
The Twitter account LaLigaenDirecto, run by mathematics graduate Fran Martinez, has calculated the percentage chances of each club being drawn together in the last-16.
PSG striker Edinson Cavani will reportedly leave the club next summer, with Atletico Madrid and Inter Miami interested in signing the Uruguayan on a free transfer.
The La Liga club has identified Cavani as a potential transfer target in January following their struggles in front of goal under Diego Simeone this term.
With Alvaro Morata the club’s only fit striker, Atletico are sixth in La Liga and have scored just 16 goals from 16 games.
Atletico would be keen to push through a deal in January, but would struggle to cater for Cavani’s wage demands given his current salary worth over €18m in Paris.
Paris Saint-Germain will not offer Neymar a new deal as they believe he is already leaving, according to Sport.
The Brazilian’s contract expires in June 2022 and the Ligue 1 champions do not believe there is a rush to extend his current deal.
The 27-year-old has expressed his desire to leave Paris which has greatly cooled the relationship between both parties. So much so that sports director Leonardo insists he will not devote any effort to renew Neymar’s contract.
Neymar’s father, who is negotiating the contract on behalf of his son, is said to be making life incredibly difficult for PSG, in the hope of convincing them to sell.
Neymar can leave Paris Saint-Germain if the right offer comes in, according to the club’s sporting director Leonardo.
In a clear indication of the French club’s growing impatience with the Brazilian, Leonardo told Le Parisien:
‘Neymar can leave PSG if there is an offer that suits everyone.
‘At the moment we don’t know if anyone wants to buy him or at what price. All this can’t be sorted out in one day, that’s for sure.
Neymar failed to turn up for pre-season training with the rest of the squad on Monday just days after Barcelona’s president Josep Bartomeu admitted: