The natives are stirring, George Gillett plans to attend again and Manchester United are influencing the mood. Otherwise, and to the relief of Rafael Benítez, there exists a stark contrast between Liverpool's previous visit to Marseille and the opening of the Champions League group stage here tonight.
Liverpool were a storm in a French port last December when Benítez entered the Stade Vélodrome with both his job and qualification for the knockout phase on the line. The latter was brilliantly achieved with a 4-0 win that enhanced Liverpool's reputation for delivering when cornered, having required three wins from the final three group games to progress, but the former was a far more delicate affair.
Benítez faced Marseille last season with the fallout from the club's approach to Jürgen Klinsmann still disrupting the club. The Spaniard had been roundly condemned for missing out on three points at Reading by withdrawing Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher when trailing the previous weekend. He knew elimination from the Champions League would offer a convenient excuse for his departure to American owners who needed European revenue and would meet him after United's visit to Anfield five days later. And a Carlos Tevez winner in front of the Kop ensured that encounter took place under another cloud.
Now, despite the Argentinian striking again on Saturday and despite the fault lines under Liverpool remaining, there is an optimism about Benítez and his squad which was impossible to detect on their last visit to Marseille. The Liverpool manager believes his first league victory over Sir Alex Ferguson will rid his players of an inferiority complex. It has certainly enabled the manager to consign last season's problems to the distant past, although the experience has not been forgotten.
"It was difficult but it did not get to me. I have some experience of these situations, don't forget," said Benítez. "This kind of talk has been going on for years and you learn to live with it. You have to be calm and do your job because you cannot change things by talking, only by working harder. That's what we did in Marseille last year and the response from the team was perfect."
Liverpool are not the only team in better shape at the Stade Vélodrome. Marseille triumphed in Eric Gerets' first game in charge at Anfield and qualification may have been in their grasp in front of an impassioned home support. But they were mediocre, mid-table hosts in December who were dispatched into the Uefa Cup on the back of their heaviest ever home defeat in European competition. The locals want revenge and Marseille, second in the French league and unbeaten this season, are a stronger proposition despite losing Samir Nasri to Arsenal and with their major summer signing, Hatem Ben Arfa, struggling with a groin problem.
Gerets yesterday expressed his concerns about facing a side who can beat United without Torres and with Gerrard only involved for 20 minutes. "If I had been asked five days ago whether I was happy with Liverpool not having their best two players, it would have been a different answer to now," he said. "Liverpool are like the Duracell bunnies - they are an example to the rest of the world for the effort they put in. You just wind them up and off they go."
Benítez remains cautious about the match. "We went to Marseille with a lot of confidence last season. Now the risk is greater, because to play Marseille straight after United will be really tough and Marseille are a better team than last season. They are playing really well, they have good balance in their team and they have players with quality and pace up front."
The Liverpool manager insisted Torres and Gerrard are fit to play if required and he will take Saturday's exertions into consideration before finalising his side. Javier Mascherano will be a late call having limped out of the United game injured. One influential figure in need of playing time is Daniel Agger, who has not started a game since the Champions League qualifying first leg at Standard Liège and whose frustrations may lead to an Anfield exit, according to reports in his native Denmark yesterday.
Agger can exploit the Webster ruling in January and buy out the remainder of his Liverpool contract for £2.8m. The Danish defender has less than two years of his current deal to run and has not been approached with an extension, having missed the vast majority of last season with a metatarsal injury. Liverpool intend to rectify that situation in the coming months. "Daniel is very important to the future of the club," the chief executive, Rick Parry, stated yesterday, but the player has left the option open.