PSG vs. Marseille: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream and TV Info

Bitter rivals Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique de Marseille clash on Wednesday for the Trophee des Champions at RC Lens' Stade Bollaert.

Usually the curtain-raising event for the domestic French football season, the trophy normally pits the winner of Ligue 1 against the winner of the Coupe de France.

However, PSG's domestic clean sweep in 2019-20 means that Marseille are there by default as they finished second in the prematurely ended French top-flight.

Former Tottenham Hotspur bosses Mauricio Pochettino and Andre Villas-Boas will renew acquaintances and it is a chance for both to win their first silverware with their respective clubs and the Argentine in his career.

Here is how you can watch the match and what to know:

Viewing information
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 13 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
Location: Stade Bollaert -- Lens, France
TV: beIN Sports
Live Stream: Fubo TV (try for free)
Odds: PSG -250; Draw +375; OM +700 (via William Hill Sportsbook)
Storylines
PSG: Pochettino got his first win as PSG coach over the weekend with a 3-0 success at home to Stade Brestois 29 in Ligue 1 after the 1-1 draw away at Saint-Etienne on his debut and his players showed signs of responding to his methods at Parc des Princes on Saturday.

On a five-game unbeaten run and with three wins from those five, Les Parisiens are the form side coming into this one as Marseille continue to falter in Le Championnat.

Pochettino is not yet certain to have the likes of Neymar and Presnel Kimpembe fit and available for the clash but the Brazilian superstar has finally returned to training.

After losing 1-0 at home to OM earlier in the season, PSG will be keen to take some revenge and Pochettino will be motivated for his first taste of Le Classique as head coach.

Craving even more coverage of the world's game? Listen below and subscribe to ¡Qué Golazo! A Daily CBS Soccer Podcast where we take you beyond the pitch and around the globe for commentary, previews, recaps and more.   

Marseille: Villas-Boas and his players come into this one off the back of just one win from their last five Ligue 1 outings with two losses and two draws.

Marseille still have two games in hand over their title rivals but even all six points could only boost them up to fourth after losing so much ground with defeats away at Stade Rennais and Angers SCO, as well as draws against the likes of Stade de Reims and Dijon FCO.

For OM, this is a great opportunity to pick up some silverware and to add to their ill-tempered victory in Paris earlier this season against a Pochettino side still adjusting to the change of leadership.

Prediction
PSG to come out on top in an entertaining affair to give Pochettino his first taste of silverware as a coach. Pick: PSG 2-1 Marseille.

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Mauricio Pochettino at PSG: Will past Premier League success lead to future Champions League trophies?
Argentine arrives in France without silverware but with plenty of plaudits
            Jonathan Johnson
    
 By Jonathan Johnson  & James Benge 
4 hrs ago
8 min read

Watch Now:
¡Qué Golazo! Podcast: Man U vs. Man City, AC Milan vs. Juventus, Pochettino Readies for PSG Debut
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40:15
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With just two matches under his belt as Paris Saint-Germain head coach, Mauricio Pochettino has the chance to win the first silverware of his managerial career in Wednesday's Trophee des Champions clash with bitter rivals Olympique de Marseille.

The 48-year-old Argentine arrives at Parc des Princes to tackle one of the biggest challenges in European soccer as one of the star names in his profession, yet he returns to the French capital -- where he captained PSG during his playing days nearly 20 years ago -- without a trophy to his name.

The message from @Co_Ultras_Paris to our coach ❤️💙

🗣️"Welcome Captain!" #PSGSB29 pic.twitter.com/rnIdXYyznE

— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) January 9, 2021
Pochettino is held in tremendously high regard in England after productive spells with Southampton and then Tottenham Hotspur and now the South American is aiming to take the next step with a club on the verge of joining Europe's elite after last season's UEFA Champions League final run.

We look at how the man from Murphy's Premier League years have shaped him into the boss who will now attempt to lead the likes of superstars Neymar and Kylian Mbappe one step further than Parisien predecessor Thomas Tuchel.

Pochettino's Premier League achievements
Pochettino dramatically raised the ceilings for Southampton and particularly Tottenham with the mindset that took root under his watch still present today. Although his work with Saints remains underappreciated, it is worth remembering where they were when he took over and then left.

Outside of the south coast, the Argentine's appointment met with derision and debate. Nigel Adkins, his predecessor who led them out of the Championship, was on a five-match unbeaten run and was targeting Premier League survival. His superiors expected better while he did not.

Pochettino was quick to bring energy and charisma to England despite needing a translator to get the message across. Nathaniel Clyne, one of a number of players bled in by him, believed that "he took my game to the next level." Other standouts, such as Morgan Schneiderlin, Adam Lallana, Jay Rodriguez and Victor Wanyama, would never emulate their success under Pochettino.

10 - Mauricio Pochettino will become the 10th @PSG_inside's manager to have played for the club before, after Jean-Michel Larqué, Ilija Pantelic, Camille Choquier, Luis Fernandez, Ricardo, Vahid Halilhodzic, Laurent Fournier, Paul Le Guen & Antoine Kombouaré. Home. https://t.co/D7vkDov3k4

— OptaJean (@OptaJean) January 2, 2021
The club mirrored the development of the individuals and an eighth-place finish in 2013-14 brought Spurs calling. At White Hart Lane, he was afforded the time to rebuild the squad in his own image and bonded closely with Daniel Levy -- as he had Nicola Cortese at Southampton. Well-paid senior figures like Emmanuel Adebayor and Paulinho were replaced by a young breed of hungry prospects willing to meet his energetic pressing demands that came to define the team at their peak.

When Pochettino did not want a player, he did not skirt around the issue. Adebayor was stripped of a squad number and forced to train with the youths. Similarly, when Kyle Walker -- a trusted lieutenant in his best Spurs sides -- appeared to be letting standards slip, it was not long before Kieran Trippier replaced him. Whether such tactics can be deployed in a political PSG dressing room remains to be seen.

Pochettino brought Spurs success. A club that had tasted Champions League football just once before his arrival were ever-present from 2016-19. For a time in 2015-16, it looked like Spurs would spoil the Leicester City Premier League fairytale. That season and the two that followed saw one of England's most consistent and refreshing sides and they forged a place of their own in the big six, a step that was not guaranteed despite the club's development under Martin Jol and Harry Redknapp.

Will that work for PSG?
Pochettino returns to Paris with new energy and drive required after Thomas Tuchel's time in charge. The German led PSG further than they had previously been in the UCL, but the squad tired of his approach on top of the complicated situation in French football brought on by COVID-19.

In France, Pochettino inherits stronger foundations than he did with Saints or Spurs. Indeed, it is harder to imagine many more talented groups of players than one that boasts the likes of Neymar, Mbappe, Marco Verratti, Angel Di Maria, Keylor Navas, Marquinhos and Presnel Kimpembe.

💬🎙️ Mr. Pochettino: "@NavasKeylor is one of the best goalkeepers in the world. It is a pleasure to work with him." 🔥 #PSGOM #TDC #Classique pic.twitter.com/FvvJBZie1s

— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) January 12, 2021
However, even PSG's peripheral squad members are star names and players like Julian Draxler, Layvin Kurzawa, Pablo Sarabia and Thilo Kehrer could all be considered key figures elsewhere in Europe.

The financial impact of the COVID-19 crisis was made worse by the collapse of the Mediapro television deal. French football is in a bad way and Les Parisiens are not exempt. A squad clear-out feels inevitable with the clear priority being retaining stars Neymar and Mbappe.

Pochettino's track record with doing away with underperforming or complacent players, bringing in younger, hungrier talents and rejuvenating those who have stagnated will aid him as he and sporting director Leonardo work together to reshape a squad with areas in need of revamp moving forward.

And PSG has plenty of experience dealing with unruly stars. It's not just Neymar. Adrien Rabiot and Hatem Ben Arfa's episodes in the past have shown PSG are prepared to take a strong stance when necessary so Pochettino should receive the backing he needs to make sweeping changes if he sees fit.

His reputation upon leaving Spurs
A media darling, liked by ex-players and still beloved by the Spurs faithful, Pochettino's departure was hard to believe even though the side was 14th in the Premier League when he left mid-November. As Levy said, it was a "reluctant decision" and his exit sparked clamor from rival clubs for his signature.

It says everything about the esteem he is held in by English clubs that Arsenal seriously considered a move for him when they sacked Unai Emery. Pochettino almost certainly would not have considered such a betrayal after developing such a tight bond with the Spurs fans.

18 years later, Mauricio Pochettino is back in Paris ❤️ pic.twitter.com/h3EyLzcauO

— Champions League on CBS Sports (@UCLonCBSSports) January 9, 2021
If there was one criticism of Pochettino's tenure, it was his inability to land silverware with a Spurs side that too often fell at the final hurdle, most notably in the 2019 Champions League final. That loss clouded his final season with Spurs and he even admitted a month in that he was still "suffering" because "something more than a dream" had been snatched away.

Pochettino had little time for those who claimed that he needed a League or FA Cup title to propel his reign forward, memorably reflecting in 2018 on "competitions that if you win, fantastic, if not, nothing changes."

Perhaps that attitude will serve him well in Paris where only one competition truly counts.

Will that reputation serve him well in France?
Pochettino has not needed any sort of character reference from his time in England as his own history with PSG has made helped make his hiring an immensely popular decision. Not only did he pull on the hallowed red and blue shirt, but he was also captain for the 2002-03 season.

This authentic link between the head coach and the club, which was nourished over the years by regular fond mentions, counts for a lot in Paris and has given Pochettino early momentum with which to work.

🎙️💬 Mr Pochettino: "It will be a special evening tomorrow. I played my last game for the club almost 20 years ago, so it will be special." 🤩❤️💙 pic.twitter.com/oJ0N1oBjyM

— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) January 8, 2021
Coupled with the fact that he is viewed in many quarters as the future of club football management, the move to bring him back to Parc des Princes when Tuchel's position started to become untenable due to in