Wednesday evening, there was an air of euphoria and intoxication at the Stade Vélodrome and its surroundings.

Inside the enclosure, the rapper Jul redid the match in the locker room then in front of some journalists, while Ruslan Malinovskyi told his memories of OM to Djibril Cissé, another great specialist in mule strikes.

And outside, the party went on for a long time on Boulevard Michelet, between songs, smoke bombs, firecrackers and rear wheels on scooters because it's not every day that OM beat PSG.

It hadn't happened at the Vélodrome since 2011, but Igor Tudor's players only had a few hours to take advantage of it.

"The League could have decided to make us play on Sunday and not on Saturday. I don't really understand this choice", also recalled the Croatian technician a few minutes after the success of his team against Messi, Neymar and the others.

From Saturday, OM indeed come down to earth with a trip to Clermont, valiant 11th in Ligue 1, for a duel less flashy than that of Wednesday but far from being unimportant.

"emotional yo-yo"

"The euphoria passed. We took advantage of it after the match, all together and as a family. We know we've done something great, but to improve that, you have to win on Saturday. It's the law of football, you have to question yourself the next day and you have to switch quickly,” said the right piston Jonathan Clauss on Friday.

Igor Tudor in Marseille on February 8, 2023 © Nicolas TUCAT / AFP

"It's a constant emotional yo-yo. Don't ignite when it's too good and don't crumble when it's too low," he added.

Because Wednesday's exhilarating victory could not completely overshadow last Sunday's defeat against Nice (3-1), which had ended a very good series in L1 (seven wins and a draw).

This setback forced Marseille to look back again, where others are also advancing strongly.

Admittedly still second, OM indeed find themselves within reach of Lens, 3rd with the same number of points, and Monaco, 4th by only two lengths.

These two rivals have difficult matches on paper this weekend, with a trip to Lyon for the Sang et Or and the reception of PSG for the Principality team.

But Lens has already won this season against PSG and OM, while Monaco is quite capable of subjecting dying Parisians to what they experienced on Wednesday in Marseille.

"nothing to heal"

OM would therefore be well advised to seek three points in Auvergne, on their momentum on Wednesday more than on that of last weekend.

Ruslan Malinovskyi in Marseille on February 8, 2023 © NICOLAS TUCAT / AFP

"There is nothing to heal," Tudor assured after the Nice match.

In fact, his players had played a decent game against the Aiglons, but they will have to prove on Saturday that the taste for defeat, forgotten for three months, has once again dissipated.

The Marseillais will also have to hope that the incredible burst of energy on Wednesday does not weigh too much on the legs when facing the Clermontois, who are rather solid but who have not scored in their last three games.

"You have to keep the enthusiasm for victory," Tudor said on Friday, adding that he did not intend to carry out a massive turnover in Auvergne, even if he will recover Eric Bailly and Leonardo Balerdi, both back. suspension.

"We will have a week to recover then. We will play with the 11 best and with the strongest team. They will push as much as possible, then I will have five possible changes to bring some freshness", he said. added.

© 2023 AFP