With the benefit of hindsight, Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille clashes have prefigured current economic worries – a whole heap of inflation without the boom – so far ahead have PSG been.
However, on Sunday night at the Vélodrome, a title race would be set in motion if Marseille were to beat their eternal rivals.
PSG's lead at the top would be cut to two points with 13 games remaining.
That would elicit a few frissons among the PSG hierarchy after the squillions splashed out to expunge such inconveniences.
An actual competition – rather than the perennial PSG prance to the silverware – would also vindicate the decision to draft Igor Tudor in from Verona as the new Marseille boss at the start of the season.
Stance
Initially, the Croatian, grim of lip and tight of face, rowed with several senior players considered far too freewheeling for the good doctrinaire.
And after the bouts of growling, Tudor established himself as top dog.
A position the 44-year-old unabashedly granted to PSG on the eve of the latest fight between the two powerhouses of French football.
"With all their players, there is no team that can be favourites against them," conceded Tudor.
Acknowledging the game could be a pivotal moment in the Ligue 1 season, he added: "We are confident at home, so we believe we can win.
"We will fight with all our means, we will want to make it a big game. But it will also depend on the opponent."
Relieved of European football since finishing bottom of their Champions League group in November, Marseille have responded to the setback with performances and results that have whizzed them up to second in Ligue 1 and into the last eight of the Coupe de France.
Progress to the quarter-finals of that competition was achieved at the Vélodrome on 8 February at the expense of a certain Paris Saint-Germain.
Progress
Marseille will be expected to see off second tier FC Annecy on 1 March to advance to the semi-finals.
But how Tudor's men cope with PSG in Ligue 1 could make or break their respective seasons.
Both sides are vying for two crowns. PSG – Ligue 1 and the Champions League.
Marseille – Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France.
"Every match is different," said Tudor. "It comes down to details. We won the last match and now it will be even harder.
"After losing to us in the Coupe de France, PSG will be even more determined but we want to play our game.
"There will inevitably be even more tension and concentration on their part," Tudor added.
Of the pair, Marseille are in a trophy drought. Their last taste of glory came in 2012 when they claimed the now defunct League Cup for a third time.
Trophies
The club last boasted the Ligue 1 title in 2010 and as for the Coupe de France - that was last hoisted in 1989 before a swathe of the squad were even born.
PSG wail no such lament. Under Qatar Sports Investments since 2011, PSG have harvested eight Ligue 1 titles, won the Coupe de France as well as the League Cup six times and carried off nine French Super Cups.
But they have not paraded the Champions League – the bauble the owners covet.
A troika of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Neymar has been assembled to seize the prize but to no avail.
On 8 March, PSG will travel to Bayern Munich in an attempt to overturn a 1-0 deficit and advance to the last eight of this season's competition.
Choices
Further progress in European club football's most prestigious tournament would command the club's resources. And potentially lead to a more measured deployment of the star strikers.
Marseille, who are two points ahead of third-placed Monaco could inject jeopardy into this season's Ligue 1 proceedings with success at the Velodrome especially if Monaco manage to digest the disappointment of Thursday night's Europa League exit and beat Nice on Sunday afternoon.
That would leave four points between the top three after 25 games.
PSG prepared for Le Classique – as matches with Marseille are dubbed – with an open training session at the Parc des Princes in front of just over 30,000 fans on Friday afternoon.
Hordes of the faithful unfurled provocative anti-Marseille banners and lavished paeans to the PSG squad during the hour-long promotional stunt.
"It had been planned for some time as our fans cannot travel to the Stade Vélodrome," said PSG boss Christophe Galtier.
"The fans are exceptional. They support us even in the most difficult times," he added.
"The training session was a great experience. There were families there, the Ultras, and PSG employees."
The atmosphere is likely to be less convivial for PSG on Sunday night in a game that Galtier refused to declare as decisive.
"It's an important game," he said. "The two teams are very close in the league table but I don't think the title will be decided on Sunday night.
"There are a lot of games to go, but a Paris Saint-Germain victory would be welcome."
Not for anyone yearning for a nail-biting contest.
