Marseille has a chance to close to within two points of Lyon at the top of the French league on Sunday.
It'll have to win against Lyon to do it and the record five-time defending champion is on a 10-match winning streak.
Marseille hasn't won the league since 1993 _ it was stripped of that title because of its involvement in a match-fixing scandal _ and midfielder Modeste M'Bami says the club is ready to challenge for a ninth championship.
``It's a great match to play in, Lyon has been a big team now for five years,'' M'Bami said. ``Those are the matches you want to play in. We don't need extra motivation. We respect them, but we are relaxed.''
Lyon has 25 points from nine games, failing only to beat Toulouse, and has outscored its opponents 26-5 in its 10-match winning streak in all competitions. If it wins Sunday, it will be eight points clear of Marseille.
Lyon defender Cris is expecting a hostile reception at Marseille's 60,000-seat Stade Velodrome.
``The match in Marseille will be complicated,'' Cris said. ``But we are going there for a win.''
Lyon hopes midfielder Juninho will recover from a heavy knock to his right leg he picked up Tuesday against Dynamo Kyiv. Marseille will be missing defender Renato Civelli but hopes winger Franck Ribery and striker Mickael Pagis recover from minor knocks to play.
Civelli has a calf strain.
``He is having trouble walking,'' Marseille coach Albert Emon said.
Meanwhile, in Saturday's matches, it's Lille versus Lorient, Monaco versus Toulouse, Nancy versus Nantes, Rennes versus Nice, Saint-Etienne versus Le Mans, Sedan versus Lens, Sochaux versus Bordeaux, and Valenciennes versus Troyes.
On Sunday, Paris Saint-Germain travels to play Auxerre.
Despite having 15 league titles and eight French Cups between them, Monaco and Nantes find themselves alongside Sedan in the relegation zone.
Monaco has made its worst start since the 1973 and goalkeeper Flavio Roma is worried.
``We don't have the characteristics for this type of fight,'' Roma told L'Equipe recently. ``But we have no choice.''
President Michel Pastor added that he is ``starting to get very concerned'' by the situation.
Seven-time champion Monaco has been in the first division for the last 30 seasons, while eight-time winner Nantes has spent the last 44 seasons among the elite.
Monaco is still showing faith in coach Laszlo Boloni, but Nantes fired Serge Le Dizet on Sept. 20 and replaced him with George Eo.
Captain Franck Signorino said the players lack confidence.
``As soon we concede a goal we start to panic,'' Signorino said. ``We lose our shape and we don't know what to do.''
© The Canadian Press, 2007
