Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang faces 'familiar' Monaco as Marseille target Ligue 1 title charge

The 36-year-old forward, who returned to Marseille in the summer for a second spell, began his senior journey with Monaco back in 2010 during a series of loans arranged by AC Milan. He scored twice in 23 appearances before moving to Saint-Etienne, where his prolific form launched the career that later took him to Borussia Dortmund, Arsenal, Barcelona and Chelsea. He also earned major honours in Germany, England and Spain, and he has spoken often about how those early years shaped his mentality.

Now back in Marseille colours and enjoying a strong season, the Gabon international has scored eight goals and provided 10 assists in 19 matches across all competitions. "I feel sharp and I feel important to the team," Aubameyang has said, as Marseille lean heavily on his influence in domestic and European matches.

Marseille, who could have gone top two weeks ago after Paris Saint-Germain slipped up, instead dropped points with a 2-2 home draw against Toulouse following an injury-time equaliser. A 1-0 defeat at Lille then allowed their rivals to close in, leaving both Lille and Marseille on 29 points and five behind surprise leaders Lens.

Monaco remain unpredictable and sit in seventh place, six points behind Marseille. Their 1-0 win over PSG on 29 November opened the door for De Zerbi's squad to reach the summit, but Monaco failed to build on it, losing 1-0 to 10-man Brest in their most recent league outing. Head coach Sebastien Pocognoli has said his players "must show consistency", especially after a series of heavy defeats earlier in the campaign.

Both sides earned crucial midweek victories in the Champions League and arrive with renewed confidence. Marseille have won every domestic and European match in which Aubameyang has scored this season, a streak that highlights his value. If he ends his current three-match drought on Sunday, the hosts will believe they can force themselves back into the title fight.

Champions PSG can move provisionally top on Saturday if they avoid defeat at bottom-placed Metz, while leaders Lens will look to maintain their remarkable run when they face struggling Nice.