Ligue 1 preview: Marseille look to close gap on Lille

With league leaders Lille in action in the Coupe de France on Saturday, Marseille can put the pressure on when they visit Lorient on Sunday.

And the club’s top scorer, Loic Remy, is looking forward to turning up the heat on Lille – who have not won a Ligue 1 title since 1954 – with a win, although he is not looking forward to playing on Lorient’s synthetic surface at their Stade du Moustoir.

“We have the advantage of playing first,” said Remy, who has scored 12 goals in the league this season.

“On Sunday, we have to make sure we win. We know that if we win this weekend, we will move within a point having played a game more.”

“It’s always too difficult to play on the synthetic pitch. With Nice, I played at Lorient at the start of the season – it is very fast, it’s not pleasant.”

Lille play host to Sochaux in Ligue 1 on Wednesday, the same night that Paris Saint Germain visit Bordeaux.

Rennes can close the gap on fourth-placed Paris Saint Germain – who play Lille in the Cup final – to just two points if they can win at Saint Etienne on Sunday, as the race for a Europa League berth heats up.

At the foot of the table, Lens will be resigned to life in Ligue 2 should they not emerge victorious from their clash with 17th-placed Monaco, while Nancy could escape the bottom three with a win at home against Nice.

Caen are still battling to avoid the drop – outside the bottom three by just two points – and they welcome Montpellier, while Toulouse visit the already relegated Arles.

With three games remaining, third-placed Lyon trail Marseille by six points, and they face a clash against Brest on Monday.