After a 25-year wait, Marseille has a chance to win another European trophy.
The French club, which won the inaugural Champions League title, will face Atletico Madrid on Wednesday in the Europa League final. Both the title and a spot in next season's Champions League will be on the line in Lyon.
Marseille is the only French club to have won the Champions League, and the players are constantly reminded of that night in 1993 when Marseille beat AC Milan 1-0 on a header from defender Basile Boli.
"When you arrive here at the club," Marseille defender Rolando said, "the first thing you see is (a photo of) Boli's header."
Marseille loves to taunt French rival Paris Saint-Germain about the fact that the capital club has never won the Champions League, but it is becoming a tiring refrain. The time to stop harping on about past glory and deliver another trophy has come, especially after a pair of UEFA Cup final losses in 1999 and 2004.
There is added significance for Marseille in regard to the venue.
Players from Lyon and Marseille fought during a league game this season and the club presidents have traded heated barbs. And with one match to go in the French season, Marseille trails third-place Lyon by one point with only the top three headed to the Champions League.
Animosity between the fans dates back to 2013, when 17 were injured during a violent altercation at a motorway gas station. Lyon's hooligan fringe has been active in European matches for several seasons, and police will be on alert for potential clashes with Marseille's feisty ultras in the city.
Stephane Bouillon, the top state representative in the Lyon area, said Monday that exceptional security measures will be implemented for the game, with 1,250 police officers deployed. In addition, a helicopter and two vehicles equipped with water cannons will be patrolling the area.
Marseille players have been urging their fans to refrain from vandalism inside the stadium.
"I hope it stays within the boundaries of football and there isn't any damage," Marseille defender Adil Rami said. "I hope we're all intelligent enough not to ruin this party."
Marseille last reached a European final 14 years ago — in the UEFA Cup — but Atletico has enjoyed a far stronger European presence in recent times. This decade alone, Atletico has twice won the Europa League — previously the UEFA Cup — and twice reached the Champions League final.
"This team has the character and personality needed to win," Atletico midfielder Gabi Fernandez said. "The only thing we have in mind is winning."
While coach Diego Simeone's side will be favored, Marseille counterpart Rudi Garcia has instilled a steely resolve in his players. That was evident in the semifinal win over Austrian club Salzburg, when Rolando scored the decisive goal deep in injury time.
"Since the start of the campaign, Garcia has said we're going all the way," Rolando said. "Even though we had to get through the playoffs, he still said 'No, no. We will get there. Get that inside your heads.' He was right."
Garcia cleverly used the Europa League to get fringe players more involved, convincing them to think of themselves as important members of the squad.
"That's our strength: everyone feels important," Marseille midfielder Morgan Sanson said. "He's proved to everyone that this works."
Sanson and diminutive midfield partner Maxime Lopez form a skillful fulcrum in the middle. They forced their way into the side via the long Europa League campaign — this will be Marseille's 19th European game of the season and 62nd overall.
The 20-year-old Lopez is a product of Marseille's flourishing youth academy. When Marseille lost to Bayern Munich in the 2010 Champions League quarterfinals, Lopez was a club ball boy. He is a Marseille local fulfilling his dream to wear the jersey.
"If we win, I'm going to dye my hair blue," Lopez said. "I wasn't even born in 1993. My father was there, and still to this day he tells me what it was like. It will be a dream if we can repeat this. We know the fervor in Marseille. It's a question of pride for me, my family and the whole city."
Motivation is one thing, but getting past Atletico's defense is quite another. And so is keeping Atletico's strike force quiet.
France striker Antoine Griezmann, who has 27 goals this season, leads Atletico's attack alongside Diego Costa.
Rami, who won the Europa League with Sevilla in 2016, knows what to expect from Costa.
"I've played a few times against him and it's always been a good scrap," Rami said. "I'll try to be ready for this combat."
Atletico's defense also faces a tough time stopping Marseille winger Florian Thauvin, who has 26 goals in all competitions. He forms a strong partnership with attacking midfielder Dimitri Payet, the French league's best passer this season along with Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar.
A look at 5 key players from Atletico in Europa League final
A world-class goalkeeper, a flashy forward and a mean striker make Atletico Madrid a tough team to beat in the Europa League final against Marseille on Wednesday.
Here are five Atletico players to keep an eye on in the final in Lyon:
ANTOINE GRIEZMANN
Antoine Griezmann has the natural attacking talent to stand out on any team, but he is the glaring exception on an Atletico side that is otherwise built on strength and ability to defend first, score second.
The 27-year-old France forward has speed, an eye for the decisive pass, and the ability to score difficult goals. His late goal to secure 10-man Atletico a 1-1 draw at Arsenal in the first leg of the semifinals sent the Spanish side into the final.
Griezmann will head to Atletico's most important match of the season amid widespread speculation that Spanish rival Barcelona will try to lure him away.
JAN OBLAK
Jan Oblak has rightfully earned a mention among the very best goalkeepers in Europe.
The Slovene leads the Spanish league in fewest goals conceded with 20 in 37 games. In the Europa League, he has conceded only four goals while keeping four clean sheets in eight matches.
While feline-like in his saves, Oblak still has the 2016 Champions League final against Real Madrid haunting him. In that game's decisive penalty shootout, he failed to save any of Madrid's five spot kicks.
DIEGO COSTA
Diego Costa left Atletico for Chelsea after leading the club to its greatest triumph under coach Diego Simeone, the 2014 Spanish league title. The Brazilian-born striker returned this season and now has a chance to help the team win a third Europa League title in a decade.
His goal finished off Arsenal in the second leg of the semifinals. A bruiser who earns as much attention for his bad temper and designs to bully opponents as his skillfully-taken goals, Costa is playing to secure his spot on Spain's World Cup squad.
DIEGO GODIN
While Diego Godin is not the same scorer as in years past when he terrorized rivals with his headers from set pieces, the Uruguay center back is still a large reason why Atletico remains arguably the best defensive team among Europe's elite.
Godin anchors Atletico's watertight backline and embodies like no other player the work ethic and team-first convictions drilled into his players by Simeone.
FERNANDO TORRES
Fernando Torres won't start the match, and the former Spain striker might not even get the nod as a substitute. But this will be his last chance to finally win an elusive trophy with his boyhood club.
Torres will leave Atletico after this season. At 34, he is no longer an important player for Simeone, but he is an idol for Atletico's fans. He also has experience in big matches, after winning the World Cup and European Championship with Spain and the Champions League and Europa League with Chelsea.
So a late appearance to snatch one last moment of glory cannot be ruled out for "The Kid."
A look at 5 key Marseille players in the Europa League final
Marseille will be relying on a spectacular but error-prone shot-stopper in goal, a scoring winger and an exquisite passer against Atletico Madrid in the Europa League final on Wednesday.
Here are five Marseille players to keep an eye on in the final in Lyon:
STEVE MANDANDA
Steve Mandanda, voted the French league's best goalkeeper this season, is experienced at club level and has played 26 times for his country.
But while the 33-year-old France international has superb agility and can make improbable saves, he is also prone to lapses in concentration and has been known to fumble shots and crosses.
Marseille will hope Mandanda has one of his inspired days against Atletico.
ADIL RAMI
Veteran center half Adil Rami makes up for a severe lack of pace with rugged man-marking and uses his good heading ability to cut out crosses and corners.
Before making it as a professional, Rami was employed by his local municipal council as a gardener. Those days of getting up early to forge a living have instilled a fierce work ethic in Rami, making him a natural leader in the team.
The 32-year-old Rami, who has made 33 appearances for France's national team and previously won the Europa League with Sevilla, will be watched by girlfriend Pamela Anderson.
LUIZ GUSTAVO
Luiz Gustavo has arguably been the signing of the season in the French league.
The Brazilian midfielder joined from German club Wolfsburg and immediately impressed with his tackling, reading of the game, positional sense and passing.
Gustavo is an inspirational motivator on the field and rarely loses the ball. He also has a fine shot from distance and has chipped in with useful goals.
But Gustavo, who has made 41 appearances for Brazil, is so versatile he slotted in effortlessly at center half when Marseille had injury problems in defense. He played so well at the back that coach Rudi Garcia even considered keeping him there.
DIMITRI PAYET
Atletico Madrid has one of Europe's best goalkeepers in Jan Oblak and one of the toughest and most well-organized defenses. That is why Dimitri Payet, the French league's best passer, will be so important.
Payet's probing passes from midfield, and exquisite delivery from free kicks and corners, have helped Marseille score several important goals during the knockout stages.
Payet also has a wonderful eye for goal when the mood takes him, as he showed for France at the 2016 European Championship and in the return leg against Leipzig in the Europa League quarterfinals.
Payet is also extremely skillful on the ball and can release dangerous passes in a flash.
FLORIAN THAUVIN
Florian Thauvin was named among the top four players of the season in France, but he may feel aggrieved at only finishing third.
The 25-year-old winger is quick, whether over short distances or running from deep, and is a superb finisher. He has scored 26 goals in all competitions this season and created another 16 for his teammates.
Thauvin's signature move is cutting inside defenders and then bending a curling shot in from outside the penalty area, in a style reminiscent of Bayern Munich winger Arjen Robben.
He is also hard-working, regularly tracking back to help his teammates, and good in the air for his size. He forms a dangerous pairing with Payet, and they intuitively feel how the other plays.