PARIS (AP) — While the finish line is in sight for runaway Ligue 1 leader Paris Saint-Germain, the fight for second place is heating up down south.
Marseille is only two points ahead of Monaco and Nice, who face each other in the French Riviera derby on Saturday. Marseille visits a Reims side without a league win since November, also on Saturday.
Reims made a bright start to the season, winning four and drawing two of the first seven games — including 2-2 at Marseille — and scoring 14 goals. But after a decent draw at PSG in late January, the club has lost six straight games and slid to 15th place in the 18-team league.
Rivals are neck and neck
Monaco and Nice are only 20 kilometers (12 miles) apart on the coast and could not be closer in the league table.
They have the same points (47) and goal difference (+19) and have scored almost the same amount of goals — 51 for Monaco and 50 for Nice. Even their top scorers are level; Mika Biereth and Evann Guessand have 11 each.
“We are excited and ready,” Monaco coach Adi Hütter said. "It’s the Côte d’Azur derby. We know it’s very important, both for the club and the fans.”
Balogun set to return, Köhn keeps his spot
Monaco forward Folarin Balogun is set to play on Saturday following shoulder surgery.
The U.S. international netted a hat trick for Monaco's reserves during the week and coach Adi Hütter said he was ready, adding that attacking midfielder Aleksandr Golovin could also play after shaking off a minor adductor injury.
Hütter has made another goalkeeping change by dropping Radek Majecki and reinstating Philipp Köhn as No. 1.
“They press high up the field, they are a strong side and have speed up front,” Hütter said. “They are good in transitional play.”
Greenwood needs to find form
While other players were away playing for their nations during the international break, Mason Greenwood came back to training early for Marseille accompanied by a physical trainer.
Greenwood is Marseille's top scorer with 15 in Ligue 1, which puts him in second place behind Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembélé's 21.
But coach Roberto De Zerbi put Greenwood on the bench in the past two games against Lens and PSG because he was reportedly unhappy with his workrate and his penchant for dribbling too much.
The decision didn't pay off as Marseille lost both and scored only once.
Meanwhile, unbeaten PSG can move closer to a record-extending 13th league title with a victory at next-to-last Saint-Etienne.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Jerome Pugmire, The Associated Press
