Olympique Marseille vs Paris St. Germain – 08/02/2023
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We have a heavyweight Coupe de France clash to enjoy on Wednesday night, as 10-time winners Marseille host 14-time winners Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16.
While PSG clinched six cup triumphs in seven seasons between 2015 and 2021, Marseille have failed to get their hands of the trophy since 1989 – losing the 2016 final to the Parisians.
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— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) February 6, 2023
The Classique rivals are separated by eight points in the Ligue 1 table, with first-placed PSG leading second-placed Marseille, meaning Wednesday’s showdown is destined to be a thriller.
Marseille kicked off their Coupe de France campaign with a 2-0 victory over Hyeres before booking their place in the last 16 with a 1-0 win against Rennes.
That means they have yet to concede a goal in the competition this season, although they will struggle to extend that record against free-scoring PSG.
Marseille head into Wednesday’s clash on the back of a 3-1 loss to Nice, ending a run of nine league games without defeat, in which they secured six straight wins.
Although OM have only lost four of their 22 Ligue 1 games this term – picking up 14 wins and four draws in the process – they will be disappointed to have fallen behind in the title race.
On the topic of the title race, PSG find themselves firmly in control following back-to-back victories over Montpellier and Toulouse.
When you look at the bigger picture, the Parisians have lost just two of their 22 league matches this season – securing 17 wins and three draws along the way.
After beating Chateauroux 3-1 in their first Coupe de France clash of the campaign, PSG hammered Pays de Cassel 7-0 in the previous round.
Remarkably, Kylian Mbappe scored five goals against Pays de Cassel – meaning the 24-year-old has netted 25 goals in 26 games across all competitions this term.
Head-to-head: PSG have won each of their last four Coupe de France meetings with Marseille, scoring a total of 11 goals in the process.
To make matters worse for OM, they have only managed to win one of their previous 26 matches against the Parisians in all competitions.
Team news: Marseille have reported no fresh injury problems ahead of this clash, meaning manager Igor Tudor has a full-strength squad at his disposal.
PSG look set to be without the injured Mbappe after he missed the previous game, while Sergio Ramos, Neymar, Nordi Mukiele and Presnel Kimpembe are also sidelined.
Given Marseille’s torrid record against PSG in recent years, the visitors are expected to win on Wednesday, even without several key players.
Forebet predicts that both teams will score at the Stade Veledrome. However, Paris Saint-Germain boast more than enough attacking firepower to outscore OM.