<
>

Marseille hopeful of Ligue 1 title win, Monaco aiming for top-three finish

Marseille's Dimitri Payet insists his club are aiming for the Ligue 1 title, while Monaco's Aymen Abdennour is hoping for a Champions League place.

Marseille remain third in the Ligue 1 table despite their 4-0 victory over Lens on Sunday evening, but the result took Marcelo Bielsa's men to within two points of leaders Paris Saint-Germain.

After finishing outside the top five last season, OM are already set for an improvement, but Payet told reporters a record-equalling 10th Ligue 1 crown remains in the squad's sights.

"We have perhaps dropped quite a few points in recent weeks, but we have never shied away from the fact our main objective is to finish first," said Payet, whose club endured a forgettable February in which they registered three points from four games.

"It still isn't only up to us, because we're not in front, but we're digging in. As far as the title is concerned, nothing is decided. We have a real chance."

With only the top three in Ligue 1 qualifying for the Champions League, and just the top two automatically progressing to the group stages, the race for a spot in Europe's elite club competition is hotting up.

While Marseille are looking upwards, they and those ahead of them -- PSG and Lyon -- should also have one eye looking over their shoulders with Monaco making up ground.

The Champions League quarterfinalists were 19th after losing to Lyon in September, but have since enjoyed a renaissance and are now four points behind OM with a game -- against Montpellier -- in hand.

"We're confident after qualifying against a very good Arsenal team," Abdennour said following Sunday's 3-1 triumph at Reims -- a third straight win in a five-game unbeaten run for Monaco.

"We're only thinking about playing and winning all our matches. We're aiming for second and third place because we have made up for our start to the season, which was not good. We have made up for it. I hope we're going to pick up something."