Marseille/PSG – Despite the crisis, Bruno Genesio sees “reasons for hope”

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·19 September 2026

Marseille/PSG – Despite the crisis, Bruno Genesio sees “reasons for hope”

This Sunday at 8:45 p.m. (broadcast on Ligue1+), Paris Saint-Germain (7th) will face Olympique de Marseille (13th) at the Stade Vélodrome as part of the 5th matchday of Ligue 1 2026-2027. At a press conference, Marseille coach Bruno Genesio spoke about this match and the Parisian opponent. And he showed ambition, despite four straight defeats in all competitions.

Genesio: “I have a team with pride and self-respect.”

First of all, these are always special matches, unique matches. I experienced that with Lyon when we played Manchester City in the European Cup. (…) That is also the charm of football. Sometimes there are matches where you think you already know the result in advance. But this is a Classique. We are at home. I have a team with pride and self-respect. I think that, in a match like this, with the support of our fans, it can somewhat erase the shortcomings we have shown in the last 30 minutes of our last two matches. I tell myself that if we are capable of that, considering what we showed during the first 50 or 55 minutes of those two games, we are also capable of troubling this PSG side at home.

Genesio: “Otherwise, there would be no point in stepping onto the pitch.”

We are aware that it will be difficult, that it is one of the best teams, if not the best team in Europe right now, with the best coach and the best players. But we also tell ourselves that it is a special match and that we can raise our level for 90 minutes. We have reasons to hope. Otherwise, there would be no point in stepping onto the pitch,” remarks relayed by Le Phocéen.

The message is an ambitious one, but Genesio is not hiding the main issue: Marseille first has to find solutions. In a context where OM has suffered four defeats in five matches, the Classique looks as much like a huge challenge as it does an opportunity to spark a turnaround.

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Against Paris Saint-Germain, desire and the atmosphere at the Vélodrome could matter, but they will not be enough to erase Marseille’s difficulties. The OM coach seems fully aware of that as well: before talking about an upset, he is above all looking for how to make the match uncomfortable for Paris.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.