Preview: Marseille vs Angers – prediction, team news, lineups

Marseilles will look to bounce back from a disappointing away defeat last weekend when they welcome the bottom side Trouble on Friday at the Stade Velodrome.

In their opening Ligue 1 game at the weekend, Marseille could move to the top with a big win against opponents they have been happy to inflict some blows on of late.

Game preview

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After one of the most astonishing games you will see in Europe this season, the 3-2 win over Lyon the week before, Marseille were brought back down to earth on Sunday.

Although they defeated their rivals for 85 minutes by playing with 10 men, Roberto De ZerbiThe Barcelona team was unable to prevail against Strasbourg and lost 1-0 in Alsace.

This result ended OM's unbeaten start, which saw them take 13 points from a possible 15 and sit level on points with Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco at the top.

However, these two clubs managed to prevail with wins over the weekend, but Marseille are still in the race Top three We're going into this match day and should have the quality to get level on points again, at least for the time being.

After the win in Lyon, De Zerbi claimed he was “not serious” about thinking about winning the title in his first season, while PSG and Monaco had both spent years building their teams.

However, Marseille have fared well under the Italian, with their tally of 15 goals in their first five games their best in 70 years, and Sunday's defeat left them with a clean sheet for the first time under De Zerbi.

Marseille would need to finish at the top of the table with a seven-goal margin of victory on Friday night, but they have won their last three meetings with Angers, scoring 11 goals in the process, and it is unlikely that the struggling team will only finish second to PSG in 2024 Win velodromes.

On their immediate return from Ligue 2, Angers appear to have not improved at all since their dismal relegation in 2022/23.

This season, Le SCO lost by just 18 points from 38 games and they are on course for a similar record, having only picked up two points from their first six games this time around.

After losing their first three games, Angers were held to two 1-1 draws against Strasbourg and Nantes, but they were poor again at home to Reims at the weekend, losing 3-1 on a pleasant afternoon for the visiting team.

Despite being heavy favorites to avoid relegation again, Angers rewarded the manager Alexandre Dujeux With a new contract later this week that will keep him at the club until 2026, his achievements from last season still appear to be at the forefront and he sees him as the best man to potentially take them back up, when they are expected to be relegated to Ligue 2 happens.

Marseille Ligue 1 form:

Angers Ligue 1 form:

Team news

© Imago

Marseille duo Valentin Rongier And Bamo Meite are about to return, but will probably only play at left-back after the international break Quentin Merlin He is also making good progress in his recovery from a thigh problem.

Knee injuries will mean Bilal Nadir And Faris Moumbagna there are definitely things to miss here Ruben Blanco is on the way back, and Leonardo Balerdi will return from lockdown.

Mason Greenwood has made a huge impact since his move from Manchester United in the summer Bradley Barcola (six) scored more Ligue 1 goals than the Englishman so far (five).

Angers will hope Bamba Dieng can return from an ankle injury as soon as possible as his proven goalscoring record could be crucial in this league, but he is unlikely to return against his former club.

Justin Noel KalumbaHe will be out for a few more months due to his serious ankle injury, but will return after the planned international break Sidiki Cherif, Jacques Ekomie And Joseph Lopy.

Marseille possible starting lineup:
Rulli; Murillo, Balerdi, Cornelius, Brassier; Kondogbia, Hojbjerg; Greenwood, Harit, Luis Henrique; Maupay

Anger's possible starting lineup:
Fofana; Arcus, Biumia, Lefort, Hanin; Aholou, Belkebla, Abdelli; Allevinah, El Melali, Ferhat

We say: Marseille – Angers 4-0

The hapless Angers side are dropping goals for fun at a similar rate to Marseille, meaning there appears to be only one winner in this competition.

The hosts' defeat last weekend shouldn't be too demoralizing given how well they've started and they'll be looking to close the gap on the two teams above them here.

For data analysis of the most likely outcomes, scores and more for this game, please click here.

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