Saturday evening will see Lens welcome Marseille to the Stade Bollaert-Delelis in one of the standout games in Ligue 1 this weekend.

Match preview

After starting the season eight games unbeaten under Will Still, Lens were given a shock when they suffered back-to-back defeats to Lille and PSG.

In fairness, the Blood and Gold were very unfortunate against Lille, and not many teams take anything off PSG, so both results were forgiven, especially when they bounced back just before the international break with a dramatic 3-2 win over Nantes.

Lens entered the final four minutes 2-1 down, but goals from Hamzat Ojediran and Adrien Thomasson turned the tables in quick succession, handing them a vital three points in their push for the top four, with Still's men now just two points behind Lille.

It was rare for this Lens team to be involved in such drama, considering they had scored just nine and conceded only seven in their opening 10 games of the season.

Nantes' two goals means Lens have now conceded four in their last two home games, more than the amount they gave up in the seven home games prior, and facing a free-scoring Marseille side next suggests they may struggle to keep them out again.

Lens have enjoyed the visits of l'OM in recent times though, as they enter this fixture having won the last two meetings here at the Bollaert-Delelis, and another success would see them secure three straight wins for the first time since the 1980s.

Marseille will be glad to be back on the road though, as they suffered another woeful home result just before the break, losing 3-1 to Auxerre at the Velodrome, in a game where they trailed by three at the interval.

Only Angers have a worse home record than Roberto De Zerbi's men, taking a mere five points from five games so far, and the Italian manager bizarrely stated he would be happy to resign after the surprise defeat.

Sitting third after 11 games though, the Marseille board have said they still have faith in De Zerbi, even though they are now nine points adrift of Paris Saint-Germain.

That defeat has also brought Lille, Lyon, Reims and upcoming opponents Lens to within touching distance of them though, and another defeat could see them relinquish their spot in the top four.

Marseille's away form suggests that is unlikely though, because they have the best record on the road in the division, having taken 15 points from their six games.

Only Barcelona have won more on their travels in Europe's top-five leagues so far this season, and with six wins in their last seven Ligue 1 away matches, that is a remarkable change in fortunes considering OM won just three of the previous 21 prior to this run.

Extending that excellent away record will be important considering that Marseille have a very tricky run to finish 2024, starting with this trip Lens, before facing Monaco and Lille too.

Lens possible starting lineup:

Samba; Sarr, Danso, Medina; Chavez, El Aynaoui, Thomasson, Machado; Pereira da Costa, Nzola, Diouf

Marseille possible starting lineup:

Rulli; Lirola, Balerdi, Kondogbia, Merlin; Rabiot, Hojbjerg; Greenwood, Luis Henrique, Rowe; Wahi