Marseille on the march

Marseille are in good form as they prepare to contest a UEFA Champions League quarter-final place with United.

Dider Deschamps' men are unbeaten in their last five domestic games and are very much in the hunt for the French title following a fourth away win of the season. Their hosts Sochaux boasted the best home record in Ligue 1 before last weekend's match but a double from Andre-Pierre Gignac sealed an excellent 2-1 victory.

Gignac – who was linked with a summer move to Liverpool last year before he swapped Toulouse for Marseille – has now scored five goals in 2011. Despite this form, the number ten – nicknamed Dédé – isn’t impressing everyone. Marseille legend Jean-Pierre Papin courted headlines this month when he publicly criticised the 25-year-old, saying:

“For me, today, Dédé plays inversely. When he should shoot, he crosses, and when he should cross, he shoots. He wants to do too much, to win too much with this club. I often commentated on Toulouse: there, there were nine players to work for him and to make every sacrifice for their striker. He's lost his bearings since joining Marseille. Now his game is too predictable. He’s lost his simplicity.”

The Reds will have to wait and see which Gignac turns up in the first leg at the Stade Velodrome next Wednesday 23 February, with the return tie at OT on Tuesday 15 March.