The origins of Le Classique

This is not a classic geographical rivalry — there's 778km (483 miles) between the clubs' stadiums, or a seven-hour drive — but like the Spanish Clasico between Real Madrid and Barcelona there is something more to the game than just football. 

Paris is the capital of France, chic and class, in the north of the country; Marseille is a beautiful port city on the Mediterranean coast with a more relaxed, down-to-Earth feel to it.

But there is also the sporting rivalry, which was really sparked in the 1990s when the pair not only vied for dominance in French football but also on the continental stage: Marseille winning France's first — and so far only — UEFA Champions League title in 1993, PSG adding their European silverware with the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1996.

PSG's dominance of the second decade of the millenium has seen them join Marseille on nine French titles, a tally bettered only by Saint-Etienne.

What about the fans?

"A match against Marseille is always a special match. Special for the players and even more so for the supporters," said PSG's iconic former striker Pauleta. "You can feel it from the start of the week during training, in the city, everywhere. You feel the fans are different, that the team is different in the build-up to the game. It's always a special game, a match you absolutely want to win."

If that's true of the players, it's doubly true of the supporters, though incidents between rival fans have sadly led to most Classiques now being played without away supporters officially present. 

The first came in the 1974/75 Coupe de France quarter-final first leg in Marseille when — following a 2-2 draw — OM fans stormed the PSG dressing room and the visiting team had to be given a police escort away from the stadium. The trouble led to PSG fans coming out in force to support their team in the second leg four days later making it the first sold-out game at the Parc des Princes. PSG won 2-0.

How many Classiques have there been?

In Round 32 of the 2021/22 Ligue 1 Uber Eats season, it'll be the 85th time the rivals have faced off in the French top flight. Remarkably, they have 32 wins each so far with 20 draws.

PSG have, however, had the upper hand by quite some distance in recent years since QSI took over the club in 2011. They have lost just once — a 1-0 home defeat in Round 3 of the 2020/21 season — in their last 19 Ligue 1 meetings with OM, winning 14 of those.

WATCH: PSG demolish Marseille at the Vélodrome

Classic Classiques

12 December, 1971: OM 4-2 PSG

The very first competitive meeting of the two sides. Prolific Yugoslav forward Josip Skoblar scored twice for OM, who were en route to winning a second successive Ligue 1 title.

8 January, 1978: PSG 5-1 OM

Top of the table Marseille were humbled in the capital despite going in front with a 12th-minute penalty from Sarr Boubacar. François M'Pelé scored twice for the home side, who had just seen president Daniel Hechter — the man responsible for their iconic blue shirt with the large red stripe — removed from office.

28 November, 1986: OM 4-0 PSG

Jean-Pierre Papin was part of the iconic OM side that reached the 1991 European Cup final, and was beaten on penalties by Crvena Zvezda. The future Ballon d'Or winner had only joined OM from Club Brugge in summer 1986 when he netted his seventh league goal for his new club in what remains Marseille's most emphatic home win over their arch-rivals, who were then — with Gérard Houllier as coach — the reigning French champions.

26 February, 2017: OM 1-5 PSG

"I'm sorry for the fans, who are going to get the mickey taken out of them tomorrow," said Patrice Evra, the former France captain who was on the wrong end of the scoreline. OM boss Rudi Garcia put it simply, "We were outclassed. What more do you want me to say?" PSG rampaged to all three points with 13 shots on target as five different players scored for the visitors in their joint-biggest win in the fixture, and inflicted Marseille's heaviest home defeat since 1953.

Notable players to cross the divide

Hatem ben Arfa (OM 2008-11, PSG 2016-18), Lorik Cana (PSG 2000-05, OM 2005-09), Lassana Diarra (OM 2015-17, PSG 2018/19), Gabriel Heinze (PSG 2001-04, OM 2009-11), Claude Makelélé (OM 1997/98, PSG 2008-11), George Weah (PSG 1992-95, OM 2000/01)

>> MATCH PREVIEW: PSG vs. Marseille