The French use the expression 'dents de scie' — teeth of a saw — to describe a football team whose performance levels go up and down, and both OM and OL have been nothing if not inconsistent in the 2021/22 campaign.

While Marseille have alternated wins and draws in their last four league matches, Lyon have gone from the sublime of victories against Monaco and Lens to the ridiculous of a 3-2 loss to Nice after letting slip a 2-0 lead before they were routed 4-1 at Rennes just before the international break. 

Léo Dubois' hamstring injury sustained in France's 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying win in Finland on Tuesday would have been the only other cloud on Lyon's horizon as Peter Bosz's men plot how best to close the four-point gap to Sunday's opponents — currently in fourth — if sporting director Juninho had not stunned everyone in midweek.

"I hope to finish the season well and, at the end — normally — it's finished," the ex-Brazil and Lyon midfielder told RMC radio. "I had said three years [that he would be in the role]. I'm going to think carefully at the end of the season, but in my mind, it was for three seasons."

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He added: "For a lot of people, you don't do a lot when you're sporting director, but there is enormous mental fatigue. I don't want to go over the limit. It's not a threat. I love the club, I have a lot of respect for the president and for the institution. I have also given a lot to the club, and you can't forget that."

He then declared he hopes to become a coach instead in the future, and admits he is learning a lot from Bosz, who has helped turn the Groupama Stadium into an intimidating destination for opposing teams. OL are unbeaten in seven league games on home turf this season, and with Marseille having won just once in their last four away matches in the French top flight, the hosts would seem to have the edge.

OM, in fact, have failed to win on any of their last 12 visits to Lyon, returning to the Mediterranean coast empty-handed on six occasions. But Jorge Sampaoli's side have made themselves tough to beat in recent weeks, keeping clean sheets in their last three league outings.

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The OM boss will have to decide whether Pau Lopez or Steve Mandanda keeps goal for the visitors. While the latter is a veteran of the Olympico, the former has been receiving a history lesson from his teammates in the fierce rivalry that fuels this fixture.

"I know Sunday's match is special and that OM's two big rivals are Lyon and Paris," explained Lopez, who had played nine successive league matches before Mandanda returned for the Round 13 goalless draw with Metz. "We're going to try and give our all to make the Marseille fans happy and proud after the game, even if we're up against a very strong side with some great players."

It could be at the opposite end of the pitch that Marseille have the most difficulty. They have tallied a league-low 39 per cent of shots on target — Lyon boast the best with 53 per cent — but OM do have Dimitri Payet in form, and the former France international has been involved in more goals against Lyon than any other current top-flight opponent (13). More Payet magic could take Marseille into second place if the teams ahead of them — Lens and Nice — fail to pick up maximum points when they play earlier in the weekend.

"There's still nearly two thirds of the league season to play. I don't know that it's really useful to fix ourselves an objective too soon. We have to focus on each game, but if we do things well, we can do some great things," said Lopez, who joined from Roma last summer. "We have a team with a lot of quality, we have to show it on the pitch. In football, you are in the position in the table you deserve, so it's football that will decide which position we'll be in at the end of the season."

Probable teams

Lyon: Lopes; Gusto, Boateng, Denayer, Emerson; Guimarães, Caqueret; Shaqiri, Aouar (c), Toko-Ekambi; Paquetá

Marseille: López; Saliba, Caleta-Car, Peres; Rongier, Kamara; Lirola, Guendouzi, Payet (c), De la Fuente; Milik

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