The Parisians of the French team expect not to be spared by the Vélodrome

“Always happy to return to Marseille”, a city where he served for eight years as a player and then coach of OM, Didier Deschamps spoke of the special atmosphere of the Vélodrome, the good sides experienced by William Saliba, given a standing ovation by the stadium with each touch of the ball in March 2022, but also the more robust welcome for certain colleagues: “I dare to hope that for others who do not wear this jersey, we will remember that it is the French team which is here. I have no illusions, but it would be good if we were all united behind the French team. »

Randal Kolo Muani and Kylian Mbappé, the two PSG players who should start the match this Tuesday evening, will quickly be decided. Five days before the Classic at the Vélodrome, they could experience a few first shrill salvos, and Mbappé smiled widely when discussing the subject: “If I am not whistled, I will be pleasantly surprised! » At Téléfoot on Sunday, he said: “I know very well that I am not on conquered territory there! But I don’t have a problem with it, I don’t take it personally. I understand too. Even if it’s the selection, I remain a Paris-SG player, I don’t expect the red carpet to be rolled out for me. They know very well that this is not going to change the way I play. »

Worthy seasoned in 2014

Mbappé has a triple thickness shell for him, but that of his young colleagues (Kolo Muani, Warren Zaire-Emery) is undoubtedly a little less dense. The coach well remembers the local seasoning for Lucas Digne, who entered at the end of the France-Sweden friendly (1-0), in November 2014. At the time, he sighed about the left side of PSG, then aged 21: “He’s a young player, it’s not easy. I would have preferred it to have happened differently. This will toughen him up. Until then, in this match, there was an enthusiastic crowd who pushed us. »

Appreciated by French players, who remember the memorable semi-final of Euro 2016 against Germany (2-0), the Vélodrome always has a special configuration for Les Bleus matches. The 67,000-seat enclosure will not be full, with around 50,000 spectators expected. The diehards of OM reserve themselves for the meetings of their favorite team, the crowd is more mixed, more family-oriented. Thus Laurie, who will come from Sisteron (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence) to support Olivier Giroud, “her favorite”.

For many, the objective is therefore not to offer an aperitif before the Classic on Sunday. “It’s strange to say that but there is a French team audience at the Vélodrome,” summarizes Belmel Karbadji, ex-educator at OM and faithful to Boulevard Michelet. For Mbappé, it will therefore be 50/50, between those who will whistle him and those who will cheer him. »