Marseille, France – Marseille has yet to win in Ligue 1 this season, but manager Didier Deschamps believes Wednesday's Champions League win over Olympiacos "will give the squad a bit more calmness and confidence."
Without a win through five games in France, the 1-0 win in Greece to start the group stage was the perfect remedy for Deschamps' club, especially with a trip to Lyon on Sunday and midweek Ligue 1 action next week.
"It had been some time since we'd managed a win and I'm sure the result will give the squad a bit more calmness and confidence, given our current situation in the league," Deschamps said.
Marseille is winless with three draws and two losses from its first five games domestically this season. Five clubs are winless in Ligue 1, and Marseille has the most to prove as the season continues.
After the win over Olympiacos, Deschamps said "we didn't beat a minnow - quite the contrary," but he knows that result means little this weekend if his squad does not follow up on the performance.
"Of course this win is a relief for us," Marseille goalie Steve Mandanda said. "It does us so much good to get this result.
"Now we just need to string performances like this one together."
Lyon sits just one point off the top of surprise leader Montpellier, and had success in the Champions League this week with a 0-0 draw at Ajax on Tuesday.
But with Marseille already nine points off the pace, Lyon could bury one of its expected challengers for the title, and leave the 2010 Ligue 1 champions in disarray.
Lyon will not have striker Lisandro Lopez due to an ankle injury, but could be in position to move to the top of the table with a win depending results from Saturday.
Defending Ligue 1 champion Lille tied CSKA Moscow 2-2 in its Champions League opener, and hosts Sochaux on a busy Saturday in the country. Lille is just two points off the pace with three wins and a draw from five games.
Also Saturday, Montpellier visits winless Brest, Auxerre hosts Caen, Lorient hosts St Etienne, Toulouse hosts Bordeaux, winless Nice hosts Ajaccio, and winless Valenciennes hosts Dijon.
On Sunday, PSG will try to extend its win streak to four games at Evian, and Rennes hosts winless Nancy.
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