Olympique Marseille vs Metz 27/09/20

27 September 2020

Olympique Marseille will be looking to come back to winning ways in Ligue 1 when they face Metz at the Stade Vélodrome this weekend.

The hosts have gone from back-to-back Ligue 1 triumphs to two consecutive matches without a win (D1, L1), with the last three of those games featuring under 2.5 goals. Against the backdrop of low-scoring affairs, three of their previous four top-flight H2H clashes held at this venue have seen over 3.5 goals and both teams on the scoresheet, with Marseille running out winners in each. Notably, going back to September 2019, ‘Les Phocéens’ have suffered just two defeats from 17 competitive home matches (W9, D6, L2), although both of those losses came in the last four such fixtures. The ‘both-teams-score’ theme has highlighted that 17-game sequence, though, as 12 (70.59%) of those games have seen both sides find the back of the net.

Meanwhile, Metz managed to bring a three-game losing start to the new Ligue 1 season to an end with a tight 2-1 home win over Reims last time out. Curiously, each defeat the visitors have suffered this term came via the same 1-0 scoreline. The deciding goal in three of their four Ligue 1 results (win/losses) this season arrived no earlier than the 88-minute mark. However, ‘Les Grenats’ have lost two of their last three top-flight H2Hs (D1), both via the identical three-goal margin. Also, a genuine lack of firepower in the final third has seen Metz draw a blank in three of their six league trips this calendar year and score precisely once per game in the remaining three.