Marseille are back at the Vélodrome tonight, and honestly, the vibes around the club have shifted. After the chaos of the early season and Roberto De Zerbi’s exit, Habib Beye has come in and actually made this team look fun to watch again. They’re sitting third, neck-and-neck with Lyon, and with a win tonight against a struggling Auxerre, they could finally get some breathing room in those Champions League spots.
The Story So Far
Marseille are coming into this on a decent little run. They managed to grind out a 1-0 win over Toulouse last time out—the kind of game they probably would have drawn or lost two months ago. Mason Greenwood is still the man everyone’s talking about, leading the league’s scoring charts with 15 goals. If he’s on his game tonight, it’s going to be a long evening for the Auxerre defense.
Auxerre, on the other hand, are in survival mode. They’re sitting third from bottom, and while they managed a 0-0 draw against Strasbourg recently, they just don’t look like they have the teeth to hurt the big boys. They’re also missing Lassine Sinayoko through suspension, which is a massive blow to their attacking plans.
Predicted Lineups
Habib Beye has a few injury headaches with Nayef Aguerd and Bilal Nadir looking like they’ll miss out, but the squad depth is finally starting to show.
Marseille (4-2-3-1):
• GK: Rulli
• Defense: Weah, Pavard, Balerdi, Medina
• Midfield: Kondogbia, Hojbjerg
• Attack: Greenwood, Timber, Igor Paixão
• Striker: Aubameyang
Auxerre (4-4-2):
• GK: Leon
• Defense: Senaya, Diomande, Okoh, Mensah
• Midfield: Casimir, Danois, Owusu, Oppegard
• Attack: Bair, Ayé
The Prediction: One-Way Traffic?
Look, football is weird, but it’s hard to see anything other than a home win here. Marseille have too much quality in that front four, and the Vélodrome will be bouncing. Auxerre will likely park the bus and hope for a miracle on the counter, but without Sinayoko, I’m not sure who provides the threat.
Prediction: Marseille 2-0 Auxerre
Expect a dominant display where Marseille controls the tempo and Greenwood adds another to his tally.
