Paris, Sept 12: Defending champion Paris Saint-Germain and Lyon are the only sides to have won all their games heading into the fourth round of matches in Ligue 1.Not many observers would have expected Lyon to start this well, having avoided relegation to the second tier for financial irregularities after a successful appeal and being obliged to sell key players to balance the books.Veteran striker Olivier Giroudâs Lille side is the only other unbeaten side so far. Lille used to be known more for its defending but has the most goals with 11.
A home game for Marseille against promoted Lorient would not usually stand out, but Marseille is already under pressure after losing two games.
Marseille has long been known as a club with some of the most passionate supporters in France, but fans can quickly turn on players.The season began with a player crisis after star midfielder Adrien Rabiot was involved in a locker room fight with forward Jonathan Rowe after a defeat to Rennes.Both players have since been sold, but Marseille can ill afford another defeat at Stade Velodrome.Lyon is away to Rennes and must re-define its attack after skillful Georgia forward Georges Mikautadze was sold to Spanish club Villarreal for 31 million euros (USD 36 million) to offset remaining debts.
Lille hosts a Toulouse side which conceded six goals against PSG in the previous round of games.