Marseille hoping to end four-game winless run in midweek Nice clash.

2024-09-22

In a bid to end their four-game winless streak, Olympique Marseille hosts a defensively solid OGC Nice in a midweek clash at the Stade Vélodrome, aiming to edge closer to European qualification.

Olympique Marseille

Olympique Marseille are coming into this match after a hard-fought 2-2 draw with Toulouse at the Stadium de Toulouse. Jean Onana put Marseille ahead in the 38th minute, but Rasmus Nicolaisen and Yann Gboho turned it around for Toulouse before Faris Moumbagna salvaged a point for the Olympians with a goal in stoppage time.

Marseille, who are now winless in four matches, are in 9th place with 40 points ahead of Wednesday’s midweek home game against Nice. Picking up maximum points against Nice will put them within reach of a European spot if favorable outcomes emerge elsewhere with five games left to play.

Marseille boasts a better head-to-head record against Nice, having won 58 of their 110 encounters in Ligue 1, the highest total wins by a team against the same opponent in the history of the competition. Additionally, the last 28 league encounters between both teams at the Stade Vélodrome have been dominated by the Olympians.

However, they have lost their last two meetings against the visitors, beaten at home last season and in the reverse fixture in the current campaign. Jean-Louis Gasset is expected to keep the familiar 4-3-3 formation, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Luis Henrique, and Joaquin Correa leading the attack.

Marseille have a long injury list, with six players sidelined, including Senegalese winger Ismaïla Sarr and Congolese defender Chancel Mbemba.

Nice

OGC Nice continued their impressive league campaign with a comfortable 3-0 win over Lorient on home soil. However, it was only their second win in the last five Ligue 1 games [LWLDW].

With 47 points [13W, 8D, 8L], Les Aiglons sit in fifth place on the league table, five points adrift of 4th-placed Lille [52 points]. After back-to-back victories against Marseille, Nice will be looking to secure a third consecutive league win against the hosts for the first time in football history.

Francesco Farioli’s men boast the strongest defense in the league, conceding just 22 goals. However, they haven’t been equally dominant in the final third, scoring just 31 goals, the least amongst the top 13 teams on the league standings.

Farioli’s 4-3-3 formation will feature Mohamed Ali Cho, Terem Moffi, and Jeremie Boga in attack. Incidentally, Boga was eventually awarded Nice’s second goal against Lorient after the LFP reversed its initial decision to credit it to Lorient’s Isaak Koné.

Meanwhile, Sofiane Diop and Valentin Rosier are ruled out of Wednesday’s game.