Neymar, Mbappe primed for PSG-Marseille rivalry
PARIS: Paris Saint- Germain will unleash star strike duo Neymar and Kylian Mbappe on bitter foes Marseille for the first time this weekend in the latest instalment of France’s most heated bu t increasingly lopsided rivalry.
With a six-point lead at the top of Ligue 1 and three wins from three in the Champions League, PSG are rolling along smoothly both at home and on the continent.
Neymar and Mbappe both scored in a 4- 0 rout of Anderlecht on Wednesday, along with Edinson Cavani, and the Brazilian is relishing the chance to mentor his 18-year- old team-mate in Paris.
“I hope to do the same thing with him ( Mbappe) that ( Lionel) Messi did with me,” Neymar, who spent four seasons in Barcelona before his world-record move to Paris in August, told Brazilian television.
“He’s a golden kid who has al l the qualities to become a global star... I’m going to try and help him as much as possible.”
Marseille are fourth in their first full season under Rudi Garcia but needed a late equaliser from Greece striker Kostas Mitroglou on his league debut to salvage a 3- 3 draw at Strasbourg last Sunday.
They trail PSG by eight points and must snap a 14-match winless run – 12 defeats and two draws – against the capital club if they are to narrow the gap this Sunday at Velodrome.
Marseille were thrashed 5-1 by PSG in their last meeting in February. — AFP the