Olympique Marseille

Marseille are coming off Thursday’s Europa Conference League semi-final 3-2 first-leg defeat to Feyenoord. The Olympians found their way back into the game after a two-goal deficit, thanks to goals from Bamba Dieng (28’) and Gerson (40). But a goal right after the break by the Nigerian, Cyriel Dessers (18’ & 46’), who also bagged the opener, left Marseille with defeat on European soil. Back in Ligue 1, Marseille are coming off the back of a 1-0 win over Reims following last weekend's clash at the Stade Auguste Delaune. The win leaves the Olympians with back-to-back victories, WWLWW, ahead of this weekend’s Choc des Olympiques. In 2nd place, with 65 points from 19W, 8D, and 7L, OM is looking to pick up a win here and stay ahead of the chasing duo, consisting of Rennes and AS Monaco, who both have 59 points each, with four games left to play. Jorge Sampaoli lined up a 4—3—3 against Feyenoord, leaving Dimitri Payet at the center of the attacking trio while bringing Arkadiusz Milik off the bench. However, the latter is expected to return to the starting line-up against Lyon, forcing Payet to the left, while Cédric Bakambu could keep his place on the right. Dimitri Payet is the club’s top scorer with 12 goals, while Arkadiusz Milik comes third on the list with 7 goals to his name.

Marseille picked up a comeback 3-2 win over FC Nantes in the mid-week round of fixtures and returned to winning ways (WWWLW) following the weekend’s loss to PSG [2-1]. Girotto (26') had put the Canaries in the lead before Payet (39' P. & 55' P.) found the leveler on two occasions from the penalty spot, - the second coming after Marcus Coco (42') placed Nantes in the lead. However, a goal from Amine Harit (76') minutes into the second half saw OM bag all three points at the Stade Vélodrome. In second place, Marseille has 62 points from 18W, 8D, and 7L. The Olympians have won five of their last six Ligue 1 matches [5W & 1L] and now have nine wins in the top-flight in 2022, as many as in the first half of the season. Furthermore, Marseille has 33 away points in Ligue 1 this season [10W, 3D, & 3L], - the most of any team in the competition, and will look to add three more points on Sunday. Jorge Sampaoli and Les Olympiens could line up with the 4—3—3 formation against Reims, having Cédric Bakambu at the center of the attacking trio. Arkadiusz Milik made an off-the-bench appearance against Nantes and remains an option from the get-go for Sampaoli.

Marseille failed to earn a point after the 2-1 loss to PSG in Sunday’s Le Classique. An opener from Neymar (12') left Les Parisiens in the lead until the Croatian center-back Duje Ćaleta-Car (31’) hit the back of the net with the leveler at the Parc des Princes. However, a well-taken penalty from Kylian Mbappe (45’+5 P.) divided both sides until full-time. "I was surprised by a lot of decisions," Marseille’s club President Pablo Longoria said after the game while speaking to Prime Video. "We saw a good football match controlled by both teams without too many chances. Two teams that were defending with medium block. Possession was going from one team to the other," he added. It was the first defeat for second-placed Marseille in five Ligue 1 games, WWWWL, who are now 15 points adrift of the league leaders, PSG [74 points]. Les Olympiens have 59 points from 17W, 8D, & 7L and are looking to hold on to the highly coveted second place, with third-placed Rennes [56 points] looking to close in on the prize for an automatic UEFA Champions League place. Jorge Sampaoli’s side have a goal ratio of 1.62 GPG this season, having scored 52 goals in 32 Ligue 1 games. The club has conceded 31 goals, an average of 0.97 goals per game, and has a G.D. of +21. A 4—3—3 formation with Dimitri Payet at the center of the attacking trio is expected from Jorge Sampaoli for this clash against FC Nantes. Meanwhile, Arkadiusz Milik (hamstring injury) is ruled out of this mid-week clash against the Yellow House.

Marseille’s 3-1 aggregate win over PAOK FC on Thursday in the UEFA Europa Conference League saw the club qualify for the semi-finals of the debut edition of the tournament. Back on French soil, Marseille picked up a 2-0 win over Montpellier at the Stade Vélodrome last weekend. Second-placed Marseille are coming off four victories in a row, LWWWW, and are looking to make it five in a row at the end of this clash against Les Parisiens. Jorge Sampaoli and Les Olympiens could appear with the 4—3—1—2 formation, having Bamba Dieng and Cengiz Ünder in attack against PSG. Following reports from RMC Sport, Marseille fans are banned from attending Sunday’s clash against PSG at the Parc des Princes, following a call from the Minister of the Interior who published a decree restricting their travel.

Last time out, Marseille swept Saint-Étienne aside following a 4-2 win over the Greens at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, leaving the club with three victories in a row, DLWWW. In second place, Marseille has amassed 56 points from 16W, 8D, and 6L, remaining 12 points behind the league leaders, PSG [68 points]. The home side has a great record over Montpellier, looking back over the last five games, which leaves Marseille with an unbeaten five-game run. Digging deeper into Marseille’s home record against Montpellier, only 8% of their 26 meetings have resulted in defeat, a ratio which remains the lowest against any side currently in the top-flight, alongside Brest. A victory here would see Marseille remain in 2nd place as third-place Rennes [53 points], who take on Reims at the weekend, look to close the three-point gap. OM has a goal ratio of 1.63 GPG this season, having scored 49 goals in 30 Ligue 1 games. They have also conceded 29 goals and have a goal difference of +20, which leaves Les Olympiens with an average of 0.97 goals conceded per game. A 4—3—1—2 formation is expected from Jorge Sampaoli, with Bamba Dieng and Cengiz Ünder in attack against Montpellier.

Olympique Marseille are returning from the international break with back-to-back victories: LDLWW, following the 2-1 win over OGC Nice on Matchday 29. Goals from Arkadiusz Milik (45'+4 P.) and Cedric Bakambu (89') were enough to decide the outcome of the clash, despite a late effort from Mario Lemina (90'+2) in stoppage time. Marseille remains in 2nd place on the Ligue 1 table, trailing the league leaders, PSG, by 12 points, having picked up 53 points from 15W, 8D, and 6L. Well-known adversaries, only Bordeaux (119 episodes) has faced the Greens more times than Marseille (113 episodes). The Olympiens will be looking to pick up one more victory over Saint-Étienne on Saturday to add to their tally. A 3—2—4—1 formation with Cédric Bakambu in attack is expected against Saint-Étienne. Meanwhile, Jorge Sampaoli will be without Arkadiusz Milik, who picked up an injury while on international duty with Poland. Milik is expected to miss Saturday’s game after limping off with a suspected hamstring injury in Poland's friendly match against Scotland, which ended 1-1.

Marseille progressed into the next phase of the UEFA Conference League following Thursday’s 2-1 win over FC Basel at St. Jakob-Park in Switzerland. Marseille had come into the game with a 2-1 win from the reverse fixture but cruised into the last eight of the tournament with a 4-2 aggregate win over Bebbi. Back on French soil, Marseille picked up a 4-1 win over Brest last weekend at the Stade Francis-Le Blé, to return to winning ways after three games without a victory, WLDLW. The club remains in 2nd place, with 50 points from 14W, 8D, & 6L. Following Thursday's win on European soil, Jorge Sampaoli is looking to pick up back-to-back victories on the home front in a bid to hold on to second place. OGC Nice and Marseille are tied on points and goal difference [+17], and a victory for the latter would see the club put three points between themselves and the Eaglets. However, a poor home form, which leaves Marseille with only two victories in nine Ligue 1 episodes, could leave Jorge Sampaoli slightly nervous ahead of the weekend’s fixture. A 4—2—3—1 formation with Arkadiusz Milik returning to the starting line-up in attack is expected from the 62-year-old for Sunday’s game. Meanwhile, Marseille have no injury worries ahead of the weekend’s fixture.

Marseille are coming off the back of Thursday’s 2-1 win over Basel in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League round-of-16 clash. A brace from Arkadiusz Milik (19’ P. & 68’) was enough to leave Marseille with a one-goal advantage ahead of the second-leg, which has been scheduled for Thursday, March 17. Back in Ligue 1, the club suffered a 1-0 loss to Monaco last weekend at the Stade Vélodrome, courtesy of a single goal from Gelson Martins (58'). Marseille sits in 3rd place on the Ligue 1 table, having picked up 47 points from 13W, 8D, and 6L. Marseille are without a victory in three games: WWLDL ahead of this fixture against Brest. In addition, Les Olympiens are two points adrift of second-placed OGC Nice [49 points], who take on Montpellier at the weekend. Jorge Sampaoli may line up the 4—3—1—2, having Bamba Dieng and Bakambu in attack. Marseille have no major injury worries ahead of this weekend’s fixture against Stade Brestois.

Marseille are looking to return to winning ways as they head into the weekend following last Sunday’s 1-1 draw against Troyes, LWWLD, in a bid to re-establish a three-point lead over third-placed OGC Nice [46 points]. The Olympians are in second place, with 47 points from 13W, 8D, and 5L. However, a poor home record, which has seen Marseille pick up only two victories in eight previous home games [2W, 4D, and 2L], leaves Jorge Sampaoli slightly disturbed ahead of the weekend’s clash. In addition, the club has conceded at least a goal in the last five Ligue 1 games [8 goals in total]. With reports from L’Équipe, earlier in the week, suggesting that several disgruntled players in the squad were considering setting up a meeting with Jorge Sampaoli over his tactical choices, it appears the 61-year-old already has his hands full, on and off the pitch. Meanwhile, the Argentine manager has his eyes set on three points when his side welcomes Monaco to the Stade Vélodrome on Sunday. Despite reports of a divided dressing room, the numbers tell a fine story on both ends of the pitch. Marseille has a goal ratio of 1.5 GPG this season, having scored 39 goals in 26 Ligue 1 games. Furthermore, the club has conceded 24 goals [0.92 GCPG] and has a goal difference of +15. For this game against Monaco, Sampaoli could line up a 4—3—3 formation with Dimitri Payet at the center of the attacking trio.

Marseille moved into the next round of the UEFA Europa League after picking up a 6-1 aggregate win over Qarabag FK following their 3-0 win in the second-leg on Thursday. Back in the league, second-placed Marseille are 13 points behind the league leaders, PSG [56 points], after picking up a 2-0 defeat to Clermont Foot last weekend. Les Olympiens have 46 points from 13W, 7D, and 5L, coupled with the form: WLWWL. Jorge Sampaoli would like to see his side return to winning ways after failing to take advantage of PSG’s slip-up against Nantes. Marseille has never gone two games in a row this season without hitting the back of the net and are looking to keep the record in place at the end of the weekend. Les Olympiens have won only six of their last 13 games [6W, 3D, and 4L] against newly-promoted sides such as ESTAC. According to L’Équipe, indirect exchanges and internal issues were reported at the club following the loss to Clermont Foot. This weekend, Jorge Sampaoli could make radical changes to the squad. The 61-year-old could line up the 4—3—1—2 formation, with the duo consisting of Arkadiusz Milik and Bakambu in attack. Marseille has no injury worries ahead of the weekend’s fixture against Troyes.