Marseille eye title charge

Marseille defender Souleymane Diawara returns from suspension in what he sees as the first of "nine cup finals" against Toulouse on Sunday.

Marseille sit second in Ligue 1, four points adrift of Lille, but Diawara thinks that the race in still on and the team are ready to achieve their goal.

"We have good momentum with a nice winning streak," he told the club's official website.

"The goal is to keep the momentum going. There are nine games, nine finals we must win. In our heads, we feel good, we're happy. We have a goal and we have nine games to reach it."

Mid-table Toulouse are the first of Marseille's nine 'cup finals' and Diawara knows that they will present a strong challenge.

"They are physically strong and play as a whole. It's up to us to find the flaw to their performance," he said.

Toulouse have dropped away from the European qualification picture after a run of one win in seven games and their manager Alain Casanova told the club's website he has been impressed with Marseille's form since the turn of the year.

"Since January, Marseille carries a faultless record with a Cup final and second place," he said.

"They have some experience. It is a very strong team, very athletic , which is really good."