Get set for trench warfare tonight

GREETINGS from the Old Port of Marseille. I’ve always considered tonight’s venue to be one of the most under-rated in Europe and make no mistake — when the conjunction of occasion and opposition is right, it can equal anything Madrid or Milan has to offer in terms of bloodcurdling atmosphere.

To be frank, the entire city can be a bit of a bloodcurdler when it comes to ‘welcoming’ away fans, and I think I have detected more quietly anxious queries than usual from first-timers about which streets to avoid.

Certainly, Paddy Evra will be watching his step if he decides to venture out for a drink at any point: the locals are making a big deal of the fact that this will be his first match in the country since he led the disgrace of the South Africa rebellion that got him a five-match international ban and national popular opprobrium.