The China Mail - Marseille face up to gulf separating them from PSG in France

PSG have lorded over all of France for more than a decade, transformed since the Qatari takeover of the capital club in 2011.

But the gap between them and the rest has become particularly pronounced in recent months as Luis Enrique's PSG prove irresistible at home and impress in Europe too.

This week's Champions League last 16 victory over Liverpool may only have been achieved on penalties, but PSG showed remarkable mental strength to win the kind of tie they would surely have lost in previous seasons.

They are now preparing for a quarter-final tie next month against Aston Villa, as they cruise towards another Ligue 1 title.

The Parisians are unbeaten domestically since last May and hold an enormous 16-point lead over second-placed Marseille at the top of the table.

Win this weekend and PSG will extend that lead to 19 points, opening up the possibility that they could be crowned champions before March is out.

Marseille, who lost 3-0 at home to PSG in October, may never seriously have entertained the possibility of winning the title this season, as they focus on finishing as the best of the rest and returning to the Champions League.

Winners of the Champions League in 1993, Marseille are not in Europe at all in this campaign.

They have been excellent for much of the season under Roberto De Zerbi, helped by the goals of Mason Greenwood and the influence in midfield of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Adrien Rabiot.

If anyone can compete with PSG over the long term, it should be them -- Marseille's revenue last season was 287 million euros, according to analysts Deloitte, the highest in France behind PSG's enormous 806 million euros.

But as a club they have too often been wrought with instability, and De Zerbi's task has not been helped in recent weeks by the focus on comments made by club president Pablo Longoria.

He hit out at the referee after a defeat against Auxerre, wielding accusations of "corruption", and was handed a 15-match ban.

Marseille have lost two of their last three games, raising the threat that they could yet be caught by teams below them and possibly miss out on Champions League qualification.

That would be disastrous, but the chances of them beating PSG away on Sunday appear slim, especially with Hojbjerg injured.

PSG have lost just once to Marseille in 25 meetings in Ligue 1 since 2011.

"We need to stick together and maintain confidence in ourselves to prepare for Paris and the other matches we have to come," De Zerbi said last weekend.

"We are going to have to roll up our sleeves and fight until the end to fulfil our objective."

Player to watch: Desire Doue

PSG's breakthrough star Doue, who does not turn 20 until June, has enjoyed quite a week.

The teenager was outstanding off the bench in the second leg of PSG's Champions League last-16 tie against Liverpool on Tuesday before scoring the winning kick in the penalty shoot-out.

On Thursday he was handed a first call-up to the France squad for the upcoming Nations League quarter-final against Croatia.

Signed from Rennes in August for a reported 50 million euros ($54.1m), Doue has scored or set up 17 goals in 23 appearances since becoming a regular in PSG's side in mid-December.

Key stats

0 - Saint-Etienne have not won an away game all season before going to Montpellier for a meeting of the bottom two sides in the division

1 - Marseille have won just one of their last 25 meetings with PSG in Ligue 1

24- The number of goals scored by Ousmane Dembele in 19 appearances for PSG since mid-December

Fixtures (times GMT)

Friday

Nice v Auxerre (1945)

Saturday

Nantes v Lille (1600), Angers v Monaco (1800), Lens v Rennes (2005)

Sunday

Lyon v Le Havre (1400), Strasbourg v Toulouse, Brest v Reims, Montpellier v Saint-Etienne (all 1615), Paris Saint-Germain v Marseille (1945)

Q.Moore--ThChM