Marseille vs Nice preview - Bielsa: Marseille will be fired up

Posted Thursday, August 28, 2014 by PA

Marcelo Bielsa reckons his Marseille players need no further encouragement when it comes to taking their revenge on fierce rivals Nice on Friday.

The club from the eastern edge of the Cote d'Azur claimed three victories over Marseille last season - including two at the Stade Velodrome, where Les Aiglons triumphed 5-4 in the Coupe de France back in January.

Argentinian coach Bielsa has been charged with restoring Marseille to the top of French football and, after delivering his first Ligue 1 win at Guingamp last weekend, has set his sights on bringing local foes Nice down a peg or two.

"Of course we can look back at history," he said in a press conference shown on Marseille's website. "But our players' motivation is focused more on building towards the future. We are challengers.

"I think the fact this is a home game with a vibrant crowd behind us will give us even more encouragement.

"But I don't think anything more is needed to motivate my troops."

Bielsa, who in his own idiosyncratic way kept his head bowed and eyes down throughout the press conference, is determined to win the Marseille fans round after delivering only a 2-0 defeat to Montpellier in his first home game.

He added: "The match we lost to Montpellier gave me an intense feeling.

"I wanted to introduce myself to our 55,000 spectators, but I wasn't able to make them happy.

"Sometimes we forget that football is all about creating emotion in the public and exciting them, and that is even more the case here in Marseille.

"It was painful to experience failure in my first home game. We have to marry entertainment with results."

Bielsa would neither confirm nor deny his interest in either Barcelona midfielder Alexandre Song or Montpellier's Benjamin Stambouli.

Marseille are looking for a new recruit in the middle of the park after selling Mathieu Valbuena to Dynamo Moscow.

Striker Andre-Pierre Gignac has returned to full training after twisting his ankle during the Guingamp game while, in the Nice camp, midfielder Eric Bautheac has reiterated his commitment to the club despite interest from Hannover.

Winger Alassane Plea could make his Nice debut following a switch from Lyon.

Nice midfielder Valentin Eysseric is eager to help orchestrate a return to winning ways after his team-mates were beaten 3-1 at home by Bordeaux last time out.

He told L'Equipe: "We had two goals ruled out and should have had a penalty.

"But this is only the beginning of the season and we are aware of our potential. The season is still long."