Amine Harit will walk into another Marseille-Paris night carrying the memory of one he would rather leave behind. Two years after his early dismissal helped turn a home Classique into a 3-0 defeat, the Moroccan attacking midfielder wants a very different ending when Olympique de Marseille host Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday night.
Harit seeks a different Classique
Harit was sent off after 20 minutes of the previous meeting at the Stade Vélodrome, punished for dangerous play following a high boot on PSG captain Marquinhos. Marseille subsequently collapsed in a 3-0 loss.
The former Nantes player said he is determined to make amends in this latest encounter, which closes the fifth round of the Ligue 1 season.
“I clearly want to finish this one in a better way,” Harit said. “Playing Paris is always a pleasure. For many people, it is the biggest game of the campaign.”
Marseille face a formidable task
OM approach the match in a difficult run, having lost four consecutive fixtures in all competitions. PSG, meanwhile, have not fully convinced since the season restarted, but Harit believes their standing remains beyond question.
Paris are the reigning Champions League holders for a second successive season, and Harit placed them at the summit of the European game.
“For me, they have been the best team in the world for the last two years,” he said. “We are not operating in the same category. Paris are genuinely above us.”
Yet Harit insisted that the Vélodrome contest still offers Marseille a chance to overturn the hierarchy.
“It is still one match: 90 minutes, 11 men against 11 men. We will do everything possible to produce our best performance.”
