PARIS - Back in form, Paris-Saint Germain can reclaim the top spot in the French league if it beats current leader Lyon on Sunday.
PSG fell in the standings when it could win only once in five league games, but morale is high again after consecutive 4-0 wins and progression to the knockout stage of the Champions League.
Lyon leads by three points but PSG has a superior goal difference and will take top spot by winning at Parc des Princes. Third-placed Marseille is level on points with PSG and it travels to Toulouse, which has slipped down the standings after failing to win its last three matches.
"It's a match which could decide who is champion of the first half of the season," midfielder Jeremy Menez said on Thursday. "It's an important battle in terms of confidence, and it will be the chance for us to show that we have really come back to the top of the table.
"To be autumn champion would really boost our spirits, it would be synonymous with a great show of character, after our poor run these last few weeks. But we shouldn't put more pressure on us than that."
Lyon slipped up on Wednesday and needed a late equalizer from winger Michel Bastos to rescue a 1-1 home draw with relegation battler Nancy.
"We're disappointed," Lyon assistant coach Gerald Baticle said. "But we'll go fighting to Paris. These two points lost won't change anything with regard to the match at the Parc.
"We're still ahead, with a three-point advantage. We'll go there to play with our qualities, our weapons and we will see ... this could change things in the mental attitude of the Parisians."
Marseille has struggled for consistency all season and almost every victory recently has been followed by a loss. However, it has won three of its past four matches on the road.
"It's odd, we get shocks at home and pick up points away," coach Elie Baup said. "We can't continue a season in such a roller-coaster manner. We have to look for a better energy, get past this, we have to be more consistent.
"I look at PSG's performances ... for a couple of matches they have been incredible in attack. We are in the game, we have chances but we have to convert them into more goals."
That result was Nancy's fifth draw on the trot. It faces high-flying Bordeaux on Sunday.
Prior to PSG's clash with Lyon, there is another clash between title rivals, as Lorient look to extend its winning streak to four when it faces Saint-Etienne.
At the other end of the table, rock-bottom Troyes hosts Ajaccio while Sochaux entertains Brest.
Also on Saturday, it's: Montpellier vs. Bastia; Nice vs. Evian; and Reims vs. Lille.
Valenciennes visits Rennes on Friday.
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