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On Sunday, two major games will take place: FC Barcelona vs. Real Madrid in La Liga and PSG vs. Olympiacos de Marseille in Ligue 1. This will be the first El Clasico between the two Spanish teams without either Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi.
As a result, it lacks the star power to entice casual viewers. Furthermore, Barcelona is now in eighth place in the standings. Real Madrid also sits in third place in the La Liga table. Thus this isn't a showdown among the top teams in La Liga this season.
Former France manager Raymond Domenech opined that he would rather see the French classic than the Spanish classic (via Paris Fans). PSG, according to Domenech, brings star power to the game with Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr., and Kylian Mbappe.
Furthermore, Marseille is currently in third place in Ligue 1, and a win over their opponents might propel them into second place. This makes this a showdown of the top three clubs in French football in 2021-22. This season, Domenech favors Le Classique to El Clasico for all of these reasons.
Raymond Domenech says the stars of the game are now at PSG
“I would say that there is almost a tie between the two meetings. At the European level, I think we will talk more about OM-PSG with Messi, and we do not know if Neymar will return than a dying Barça and a Real Madrid who is nothing exceptional. These are teams that no longer have anything catchy,” Domenech said during a program on La Chaîne L'Equipe.
He further added:
“We must emphasize that what still makes the quality and strength of these great teams is that they have stars. And now, where are the stars? They are at PSG.
'Barça and Real have good players; they have great teams, that’s for sure. But they don’t have someone that stands out, so they bring their team down to an average level. Benzema? He doesn’t have the aura of Ronaldo, Messi, or Neymar. It’s a tone below.”
Domenech made no mention of the rivalry between the fans and the teams. In addition, the visiting team will be entering a hostile environment, as PSG will on Sunday night. The Stade Vélodrome will be devoid of support for the capital club, and Marseille will have to take care to protect Les Parisiens from their fans.
