re: Soccer Boards Guide For Soccer Noobs

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Le Classique: PSG vs Marseille The French classico. Paris and Marseille are respectively the 1st and 2nd most populated cities in France and the rivalry between both cities originally had nothing to do with football, but because PSG and OM usually have the two biggest budgets in French football the game between the two takes on extra meaning both on and off the pitch.

Olympico: Olympique Lyon vs Olympique de Marseille Unlike Le Classique, the rivalry has no bad blood within it and, instead, stems from the competitiveness of the each club's players, managers, supporters, and presidential hierarchy. The rivalry is often cited as being particularly important as both clubs are of high standard in French football and the championship has been decided between the two on many occassions.

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I would add that Lyon vs. Saint-Etienne is a rivalry known as the Derby Rhone-Alpes or simply Le Derby. Also, OM and OL has gotten more contentious since Mathieu Valbuena signed for OL. OM fans hung him in effigy at the Velodrome.