Marseille meet Bayern in Wednesday evening’s Champions League quarter-final first leg at Stade Velodrome. It is a case of back to the roots for Munich's Franck Ribéry, but three of the most sought-after media personalities prior to the match are a trio of ex-Bayern Frenchmen, namely Bixente Lizarazu, Jean-Pierre Papin and Alou Diarra.
All three represented or continue to represent Olympique Marseille. Lizarazu spent almost nine years in Munich from 1997 to 2006, interrupted only by a six-month intermezzo in the south of France in 2004. Papin was a Munich man from 1994 to 1996, but spent six full seasons (1986 to 1992) in Marseille colours, and was voted the club's player of the century by OM fans. Diarra, the only one of the trio still playing and set to appear for the home side on Wednesday, featured for the Munich reserves from 2000 to 2002.
All three spoke about the showdown between “their" clubs.
Bixente Lizarazu: “Marseille will show a different side of their character in the Champions League compared to Ligue 1, as we saw against Inter Milan. I recall my time in Bordeaux, when we struggled in the league but still made it to the UEFA cup final, which happened to be against Bayern. Bayern's attack led by Mario Gomez, one of Europe's best strikers, is incredibly dangerous. Franck Ribéry is in top form and sets up lots of goals. And then you have Robben and Müller as well. Marseille will have to be just as alert as they were against Inter, especially at the back. And they'll have to do more attacking than they did against Inter."
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