France’s biggest rivalry will be renewed at the Stade Vélodrome on Sunday, as Paris Saint-Germain travel south to play their sworn enemy Marseille.

It has been a disastrous season for PSG. They are out of the two domestic cups, suffered elimination in the Champions’ League group stage, sacked their Coach, and are currently lying 12th in Ligue 1.

Marseille, on the other hand, are doing relatively well. Revitalised by Coach Philippe Troussier, they are second only to three-times champions Lyon.

Yet it is the PSG fans who are enjoying the current bragging rights – the Parisians are looking for an incredible ninth consecutive victory over OM since the Vélodrome defeat in April 2001.

But why do two teams, 480 miles apart, hate each other so much?

The rivalry dates back to 1986 when PSG, under Coach Gérard Houllier, lifted their first ever championship title. A few days later, Bernard Tapie was elected President of OM.

Tapie (pictured here in January 1991) was a colourful character. A fervent socialist and former political advisor to France’s last President, François Mitterand, Tapie was brought up in a working-class area of Paris. Yet he grew to despise the capital’s top team - especially when, in 1991, they were bought by the French television network Canal +.

In the eyes of Tapie, PSG, who were only founded in 1970, had become the nouveau riche of French football.

But there is more to the rivalry than purely footballing matters. It has been linked to the much-talked-about Paris versus the rest of France struggle, and most people outside the capital - as well as the thousands of non-Parisians who live in Paris - will be backing Marseille on Sunday.

The derby also has a political edge to it, with Marseille traditionally representing the left wing and PSG the right. In the 1980s, the Parc des Princes became the favourite meeting place for right-wing extremists, especially in the Boulogne stand. Fans soon set up their own gangs, with many still thriving today, the most notorious being the 1000-strong Boulogne Boys.

The foundations for a rivalry were already there, and Tapie built on them.

In the days leading up to the clashes between the two teams, Tapie used to wind up the PSG players and fans with comments in the media - a tactic which ensured his popularity in Marseille, but led to tensions on the terraces.

First reports of violence between the two teams came in the early 90s. The hatred was fuelled by the success that Marseille were having on the pitch. They won five consecutive League championships between 1989 and 1993, though their 1993 crown and their 1993 Champions’ League title were stripped after Tapie was found guilty of match-fixing and sentenced to seven months imprisonment.

Marseille were relegated to the Second Division as punishment, but the damage had already been done.

Fast-forward over a few years of changeable form for both clubs, and the rivalry is as hotly-disputed as ever.

Earlier this season, the two teams met twice in four days. Tensions were high, especially as the first encounter saw the return to ‘le Parc’ of two former PSG players - Fabrice Fiorèse and last year’s captain Frédéric Déhu. Each time Fiorèse took a corner, he had to be protected from the showers of missiles by three policemen with riot shields.

Before the match had even started, the Marseille team bus was set upon by some PSG fans after the police escort vehicles had taken a wrong turn.

PSG came out of the two fixtures on top with two victories; 2-1 at home in the League, and 3-2 away in the Coupe de la Ligue. For the upcoming clash, bookmakers have made OM odds-on favourites, despite PSG’s outstanding recent record against their arch rivals.

Only one thing can be sure: the attention of the nation will once again be firmly fixed on the Stade Vélodrome this Sunday evening.