Eleventh game of the French top flight season ... et voilà, le classique! – as clashes between Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille are nicknamed.
As PSG have annexed the Ligue 1 title, the matches between the rivals have been drab, one-sided affairs with the gulf between the monied superstars of PSG playing on a different level to the yeoman souls of Marseille.
Since QSI fully took over PSG a decade ago, only Montpellier, Monaco and Lille have captured the domestic championship.
Successes for Marseille have been occasional. The feisty 1-0 win at the Parc des Princes in September 2020 resulted in five red cards and allegations of racism.
It was a pyrrhic victory though. Lille ultimately lifted the 2021 title. PSG finished second and Marseille ended outside the places for the Champions League.
Rebirth
But just a few years on, Marseille return to the French capital in buoyant mood.
They stand a good chance of progressing to the last-16 of the Champions League following successive wins over Sporting Portugal.
And they are only three points adrift of Ligue 1 pacesetters PSG.
"It's a top of the table clash," said PSG boss Christophe Galtier. "It's a really big game between two teams that are in form.
"We haven't lost a game this season and Marseille are coming to us after significant wins over Sporting."
Galtier - born 56 years ago in Marseille - was trying manfully to talk nuts and bolts football ahead of Sunday night's game.
It seemed somewhat light-headed and whimsical.
Challenge
The team he took charge of in July is rife with rank rumours of dressing room friction and factions.
Kylian Mbappé is said to be unhappy that the promises that led him to sign a new contract at the end of last season have not been kept.
Despite the tonnes of cash, he is understood to want no more of such poor behaviour.
His French-speaking acolytes are distancing themselves from him. The South American posse led by Neymar and Lionel Messi seem to be growing in power.
And then another story that PSG commissioned an external agency to create fake Twitter accounts to lead smear campaigns on social networks against journalists, club officials and even Mbappé.
The club has denied the allegations.
Such is Galtier's hinterland.
Good luck talking about the sparkling form of Neymar and Messi who could return from injury for the game against Marseille.
Messi missed the 1-1 draw at Reims last weekend and Tuesday night's 1-1 stalemate against Benfica after tweaking his calf during the latter stages of the Champions League game against Benfica in Lisbon on 5 October.
His guile between the lines was sorely missed on Tuesday night. And a reappearance even from the bench could help the hosts quell confident visitors.
"We're in a good moment," said Marseille boss Igor Tudor. "The players are happy and doing well. But they all know that they face a tough test on Sunday night."
Tudor's debut at Marseille was fractious. He fell out with several senior players over his methods and style.
But the doubters have fallen into line. The hiccup at home to Ajaccio in Ligue 1 was followed by a 2-0 win at Sporting that took them to second in Group D with two games remaining.
"I know that some coaches change their styles when they play against PSG, added Tudor.
"But we won't be doing that mainly because it's something I believe in and secondly because it has brought us good results.
"How am I going to explain to the squad that we should change our philosophy while we're in such a good phase?"
If PSG can recreate their off-field pyrotechnics on the turf, Tudor might leave the capital with a change of heart.
