Two French giants collide this weekend in an event marked in calendars by football fans, when Olympique de Marseille and Olympique Lyonnais do battle in the 106th edition of the ‘Olympico’ in Ligue 1. Of the six French clubs involved in European competition this season, Marseille are the only one that failed to progress past the group stages as they conceded a 95th-minute goal during their 2-1 loss against Tottenham on Tuesday, which saw them finish bottom of their UEFA Champions League (UCL) group.
This is probably a blessing in disguise for Marseille, who must refocus on domestic duties and end a four-game winless run in Ligue 1 (D1, L3) in order to reduce a three-point gap to the UCL places ahead of the round. The Olympians will need all the support they can get from the Stade Velodrome to avoid three consecutive home league losses for the first time since early 2021, especially as they’ve failed to win four of the previous five H2Hs held here (W1, D1).
Visitors Lyon are not competing on the European stage in 2022/23 but their season is still far below expectations and they currently sit seven points adrift of the top four after 13 matches played. Despite a 3-2 defeat at Rennes in his first game as Lyon coach in mid-October, Laurent Blanc seems to have found the right gear and has led his team to consecutive league wins for the first time since early September, following a 1-0 win over Lille last time out.
Lyon’s first away win in Ligue 1 this campaign came under Blanc as well, when they defeated Montpellier 2-1 on their last road trip and the Gones will now look to claim consecutive away league wins for the first time in over a year. However, Lyon will have to deal with reduced support this time around, as only 200 fans are allowed to attend to avoid any risk of incident in the stands.
Players to watch: Marseille will hope Alexis Sánchez can find the net, given he has led his team to victory in his five goal-scoring competitive matches in 2022/23. Although currently on a seven-game drought, Moussa Dembélé could be one to watch, as he has scored for Lyon in each of the last three away H2Hs he played in.
Hot stat: Lyon’s Blanc has lost just one of 12 personal Ligue 1 H2Hs with Marseille as a coach (W7, D4).
