Grassau (Germany) (AFP)

Olympique de Marseille is preparing for the season of its return to the Champions League in the Bavarian Alps, for a ten-day internship, with three friendly matches largely within its reach to get it started.

Before the ogres of the C1, OM rubs with Petit-Poucet. Sunday (6.30pm), he faces an Austrian 3rd division club, FC Pinzgau, at the stadium in Kufsin, in neighboring Austria.

On Wednesday July 22 (6.30 p.m.) the men of André Villas-Boas play against SV Heimstetten, club of the 4th German division in the suburbs of Munich, where evolves notably Luca Beckenbauer, grandson of Franz, the "Kaiser", champion of the world as a player and a coach.

Finally on Saturday July 25, OM raise the level against Dunajska Streda, club of the elite of the Championship of Slovakia. The meeting is planned in Kössen, very close to his Grassau base camp.

This small Alpine town is located southeast of Munich, halfway between the German metropolis and Salzburg. The region recalls good memories to OM, which played in 2018 a Europa League semi-final against Red Bull (2-1 ap defeat, qualification after the 2-0 first leg victory).

The serious things begin, after a week of training at Quinta do Lago, in the south of Portugal, near Faro, where OM had already come two years earlier. The club is pleased to have taken the small risk to organize this meeting in the country of its trainer, who wanted this course.

- Matches on Twitch -

All health precautions were taken in front of the Covid-19, and everything went well. The same measures will be applied in Bavaria, the interviews for example will be done with respiratory masks and safety distance.

An internal confrontation had concluded this stage, this time the Olympians will have opponents.

Fans who have been frustrated with their OM for four months will be able to watch the first two friendly matches on the club's Twitch channel (named omofficiel) or on om.net.

They will probably have Chimene's eyes for the club's first recruit, recovery midfielder Pape Gueye. Transferred from Le Havre (L2), the player is still at the heart of a mess with Watford, the English club which claims to have bought it too.

OM's legal advisers are confident, but in any case the vice-champion of France 2020 could not pass up such an opportunity, a free player with so much potential.

Because the famous "player trading" is part of phase 2 of the project, as explained by President Jacques-Henri Eyraud.

The club, which needs to sell players, is still negotiating, especially for Morgan Sanson, Bouna Sarr or Maxime Lopez, but also seeks to strengthen itself.

By drawing from the list provided by "AVB", pending the appointment of the general manager of football, the club is eyeing in particular on the Argentinian defender of Borussia Dortmund Leonardo Balerdi. The Portuguese coach confirmed to L'Equipe that he was interested.

- The young people are there -

The executives are there, Steve Mandanda, Dimitri Payet, who has extended and plans to play another four years, and Florian Thauvin, after a year where he only played two times ten minutes, between his ankle injury and the pandemic .

Young people, another important axis of phase 2 of the project, are also there.

Villas-Boas has brought two young goalkeepers, Simon Ngapandouetnbu and Fabio Vanni, to Germany, a brand new professional contract, midfielder Ugo Bertelli, who turned 17 on July 15, and four young pros.

Among them, striker Marley Aké and midfielder Florent Chabrolle, who already tasted L1 last season, and defender Ali Abdallah Mohamed.

Central defender Lucas Perrin, tenured four times last season, leads the young guard of the "Minots".

Six players went pro this summer, but not all of them are in the group yet. They have the whole season to break through.

On Saturday afternoon, left midfielder Cheick Souaré, who signed his first pro contract for the next three seasons, joined the group, OM said.

Finally Christopher Rocchia (22) denotes a bit, he left to harden in Sochaux (L2) and returns in the role of the replacement of Jordan Amavi at the post of left side. With the Champions League and a busy schedule, there should be room for young people ...

© 2020 AFP