Ligue 1 | Gameweek 25

Mar 8, 2025 at 8.05pm UK

Stade Velodrome

Marseille vs Lens

Match preview

In De Zerbi's first season at the helm, Marseille are set to finish second behind leaders Paris Saint-Germain, which would be a hugely impressive result.

The gap to the leaders is now an unassailable 13 points, but a return to the Champions League for only the third time in over a decade will be crucial if OM are to keep their momentum going.

At the start of the season, their home form looked like it was going to derail those plans, but results at the Velodrome have picked up rapidly, with three wins on the bounce after taking just 13 points from their first nine home games of the campaign.

That leaves Marseille three points clear of Nice below them and, more importantly, six clear of Monaco in the UCL play-off spot, and eight clear of Lille in fifth.

Bouncing back from last weekend's 3-0 defeat at Auxerre was crucial, and OM did just that by beating Nantes 2-0, although they did it late as goals from Amine Gouiri and Mason Greenwood both came after the 70th minute.

The home fans will be confident of another win given their form, Lens' recent results and the fact that OM have now won back-to-back games against the Blood and Gold.

Marseille had lost three in a row before beating Lens at the Velodrome last season, and after a 3-1 win in the reverse fixture, the home side now have the chance to complete the double over Lens for the first time in 10 years.

A run of form that has seen Lens lose four in a row also makes this look highly likely, with coach Will Still suffering the worst run of defeats in his managerial career to date.

Lens as a club had not lost four in a row for almost exactly a decade, but the unwanted record was set last weekend when they were stunned at home by relegation favourites Le Havre.

Still's men found themselves on the wrong end of a seven-goal thriller despite leading 2-0 early on and 3-2 on the hour mark, only to be inexplicably beaten by an injury-time penalty.

As a result, Lens dropped to ninth, only in the top half on goal difference, and their dreams of qualifying for Europe for a third successive season have been dashed.

Only the top six are guaranteed a place in Europe at the moment, and Lens are six points adrift, and having been knocked out of this season's Conference League qualifiers, the Blood and Gold faithful will be desperate to return, especially after their dramatic Champions League exploits last season.

Recent Performance

Marseille Ligue 1 form:LWWWLW

Lens Ligue 1 form:WWLLLL

Team News

Faris Moumbagna remains Marseille's only long-term injury absentee, but he will be joined on the sidelines by Michael Murillo, who was forced off after 25 minutes last week with a hamstring injury.

Derek Cornelius is serving a suspension after being sent off against Auxerre, but he also had a yellow card to serve and will be out again, while Ulisses Garcia is also a doubt at the back through injury.

Gouiri has been in scintillating form since his move from Rennes, scoring five goals and laying on three assists in five games, while attacking partner Greenwood has 15 Ligue 1 goals to his name, second only to Ousmane Dembele.

M'Bala Nzola remains suspended for Lens after seeing red in the defeat at Nantes, while Adrien Thomasson, Facundo Medina and Angelo Fulgini will join the Angolan in the banned list after accumulating the maximum number of yellow cards.

Martin Satriano and Remy Labeau Lascary are out with serious knee injuries, while young striker Jeremy Agbonifo is a doubt and Jhoanner Chavez will miss the game with an ankle injury.

Possible starting lineup

Marseille possible starting lineup:

Rulli; Lirola, Balerdi, Kondogbia; Luis Henrique, Bennacer, Hojbjerg, Rabiot, Merlin; Gouiri, Greenwood

Lens possible starting lineup:

Ryan; Aguilar, Gradit, Sarr, Machado; Diouf, El Aynaoui, Zaroury; Sotoca, Said, Ojediran