Lille vs Olympique de Marseille 01/10/18

01 October 2018

The two clubs currently engaged in the Champions League promotion race are destined to meet each other at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, with Lille OSC looking to take on Olympique de Marseille.

After a narrow 1-0 defeat to Bordeaux on the road, Les Dogues are desperate to return to winning ways instantly and keep up the pace with Lyon. Moreover, considering Lille’s home record this season, they have every reason to hope for a win against the rampant visitors, as they’ve won all three matches in front of the home supporters, defeating Rennes, Guingamp, and Nantes in the process. However, Christophe Galtier’s side failed to beat Marseille in the previous four matches at home, suffering three defeats, while splitting the points once.

Meanwhile, Les Phocéens have clinched a significant 3-2 win over Strasbourg in midweek, showing they’ve managed to overcome two straight failures, against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League and Lyon in the Ligue 1. Les Olympiens have featured in three away matches this year, suffering two losses, to Nimes and Les Gones, while securing a 3-2 triumph over AS Monaco. Still, Rudi Garcia’s biggest fear ahead of weekend’s trip to Lille is a shaky defensive performance of his team away from the Stade Velodrome, as Marseille are yet to keep a clean sheet on the road.

Fares Bahlouli, Jeremy Pied, and Rafael Leao are struggling with injuries in the home side, while Rolando, Adil Rami, and Clinton N’Jie are dealing with the similar problems in the visiting squad.