Champions Paris Saint-Germain can reclaim the top spot in Ligue 1 on Sunday, but they need to beat current leaders Lyon away from home to do so.
It's a tough assignment for Laurent Blanc's men, but they were boosted by a 1-0 win over Lille in midweek that took them into the French League Cup final.
With the Cup behind them and the Champions League clash against Chelsea coming up, the Ligue 1 giants need to focus on improving their league ranking.
"It's not a final but it could be the turning point of the season", admitted Blaise Matuidi.
"We've got a lot of avenues open to us and we want to do well in all the different competitions."
With 15 games to go, PSG have little margin for error. The defending champions have yet to hit their stride during a mediocre campaign but maximum points at Gerland would take PSG ahead of their rivals in the table.
The Ligue 1 title race has effectively become a three-way tussle between current leaders Lyon on 49 points with Marseille and PSG hot on their heels on 47.
And PSG have no choice in Lyon, as Thiago Motta explained. "If we lose on Sunday in Lyon, people will talk about a crisis at PSG. Our aim is to win and reclaim the top spot", said the Italian midfielder.
The pressure is thus on Laurent Blanc and his men. Bernard Lacombe, special advisor to Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas, knows that and cunningly added to their burden.
"PSG will be champions. At one point, the Parisian players are going to rebel. Let's hope it'll be as late as possible", Lacombe told Radio Scoop.
Lyon, who are surprise leaders at this point in the season, are on eight-match unbeaten run, having only dropped points at Monaco.
But, just as they did in the Principality, Lyon will have to do without their number one striker Alexandre Lacazette (21 league goals).
Fixtures (all times are 1900GMT unless stated)
Sunday
Guingamp v Monaco (1300), Nice v Nantes (1600), Lyon v Paris Saint-Germain (2000)
Source: AFP
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