Ligue 1 Preview: Marseille visit PSG as top two meet

Marseille visit Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday in one of the most anticipated matches of the Ligue 1 season so far.

Marcelo Bielsa’s charges have proved the surprise package of the French top flight, currently sitting four points clear of PSG at the summit after winning nine of their opening 12 matches.

Bielsa was unhappy with his side’s performance in a 2-1 win against Lens last time out, but former Stade Velodrome favourite Lucho Gonzalez has tipped the Argentine to continue upsetting the odds.

“With him, you are forced to work towards the common goal,” the former Porto midfielder, who won the Ligue 1 title with the club during his three-year stay between 2009 and 2012, said. “He unifies, brings people together. He always tells the truth, and I think people like that, but so do the players.

“He wants everything to be perfectly clear, and that is always going to be good for the club. He’s going to continue surprising you.”

Reigning champions PSG have made a lacklustre start to the campaign, but are yet to taste defeat – drawing six of their league matches.

Sunday’s top-of-the-table encounter will be the second big match in a matter of days for Laurent Blanc’s men, who qualified for the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League with a 1-0 win over APOEL on Wednesday.

Lyon could pile the pressure on PSG to deliver a positive result in domestic action by picking up a win against struggling Guingamp earlier on Sunday.

The Stade de Gerland outfit would climb two points above PSG with a win, but would only occupy second for a matter of hours if the men from the capital managed a victory over Marseille.

Monaco, unbeaten in four, are beginning to steadily recover their form and can leapfrog opponents Saint-Etienne with a victory on Sunday.

Bordeaux coach Willy Sagnol, meanwhile, will be keen to move on from controversy surrounding potentially derogatory comments he made about African footballers in the week.

His side are at 17th-placed Lens on Saturday.

Strugglers Bastia host Montpellier as they begin life without departed coach Claude Makelele.

The former Real Madrid and Chelsea star left the club earlier this week, as his first managerial stint came to a disappointing end.

Bastia sit second bottom of the top flight, having won just two in the league and will be wary of slipping to the foot of the table, with basement side Evian to face Nice this weekend.

Elsewhere, Rennes face Lorient, Nantes travel to Caen, Toulouse are at home to Metz and Reims welcome Lille.