Baup considers PSG heavy favourites

Marseille head coach Elie Baup has claimed it is ‘quite obvious’ Paris Saint-Germain should win the Ligue 1 title this season.

PSG, Lyon and Marseille entered Ligue 1’s winter break level on 38 points at the top of the table with the big-spending capital club on top thanks to a superior goal difference.

Baup will not deny PSG are favourites to become champions but maintains his Marseille side can push the Parisians hard through the second half of the campaign.

“It is quite obvious, it is what most people in football think, that Paris-Saint-Germain should win the Ligue 1 trophy at the end of the season,” Baup said on Friday.

“Then the other teams will fight in order to get a place in Europe.

“It is what should happen but it is up to us to do everything within our power to change that and, most of all, secure a place in Europe.”

Baup’s first priority is a top-five finish to ensure European football for next season, while he also has an eye on the Coupe de France as an opportunity to win some silverware.

Marseille overcame Guingamp last week to move through to the last 32 of the Coupe de France and with a cup tie against third-tier club Rouen looming on January 22, plus tricky away trips to Sochaux and Rennes in Ligue 1, this month could be crucial for the club’s season.

“January is complicated, we have to perform well this month in order to be in a good position come May,” Baup said.

“This month is not an easy one and we have to take points.”

While Sochaux are in the relegation zone, the struggling club will be desperate to continue their run of 12 seasons in France’s top division when Marseille visit them on Sunday.

With the Ligue 1 title still up for grabs and a demanding public back in Marseille, Baup knows there will be pressure on his team but the 57-year-old head coach is unconcerned.

“Because we are Marseille, we know we have to win,” Baup said.

“We have pressure but it is a good kind of pressure.

“We have to live with that and be ambitious.

“In my point of view, we need to be under pressure because it is a good thing.”