Lionel Messi and PSG are set for Season-Defining Week

• Paris Saint-Germain face Marseille in the French Cup last-16 on Wednesday,
• PSG have an excellent Cup record against Marseille.
• Marco Verratti’s return from suspension will provide a huge boost in midfield.

 PSG: A trip to bitter rivals Marseille in the French Cup on Wednesday marks the start of a seven-day period that might define Paris Saint-season, Germain’s with a Champions League battle against Bayern Munich looming.

Next Tuesday’s first leg of their Champions League round of 16 match between the Bundesliga’s juggernauts and PSG won’t be an easy one for PSG.

Parisians try to recapture a title they missed out on last season after winning it six times in the previous seven years as Marseille awaits them in the bear pit of the Velodrome for a French Cup last-16 match.

Then, on Saturday, they travel to a strong Monaco. a game that might be one of the biggest challenges still standing in their way of winning Ligue 1. At the top of the standings, they are eight points ahead of their closest competitors, Marseille and Lens.

With victories in 10 of the previous 11 meetings between the clubs, including two finals in the previous two decades, PSG has a strong Cup record versus Marseille.

On Wednesday, Marseille will play in front of a hostile crowd of 65,000 supporters, although PSG’s dominance at home has recently come under scrutiny.

Prior to defeating Montpellier and Toulouse recently, Christophe Galtier’s club only won one of their first four league games in 2023.

They lost Kylian Mbappe to a thigh injury on Saturday, and he won’t be available for the first leg against Bayern because of it. They required a brilliant Lionel Messi goal to defeat the latter 2-1.

Mbappe has surpassed Messi and Neymar to firmly establish himself as PSG’s most crucial player. It’s devastating that he’s not here at such a crucial point in the season.

At the very least, Marco Verratti’s return from suspension would give PSG’s midfield a major boost, but lately, PSG’s defence has also looked thin, and a Marseille attack powered by Alexis Sanchez might take advantage of their vulnerabilities.

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