Marseille coach Michel says Mathieu Valbuena 'deserves' hostile reception

Paris - Marseille coach Michel admits that former OM playmaker Mathieu Valbuena will deserve the hostile reception that awaits him when he returns to the Stade Velodrome for the first time as a Lyon player on Sunday.

"What I am going to say is not malicious. You need to take it the right way. It's part of the warmth of a stadium. Players who go from one club to another deserve it in some way," said Michel when asked about the welcome the 30-year-old could expect in Sunday's Ligue 1 clash.

Diminutive France international Valbuena starred for Marseille from 2006 until last year, when he left for Dynamo Moscow. But after just one season at the Russian club he returned to France this summer, signing for Lyon.

"It is clear that by changing club, knowing the rivalry, you are not going to receive a bouquet of flowers," added Spaniard Michel.

"Let's hope it remains sporting. And anyway for good players like him it is a source of motivation."

Marseille, who have scored 10 goals in winning their two home games since the appointment of Michel, can leapfrog last season's Ligue 1 runners-up Lyon with a victory.