Beaten by Olympiakos (1-0), in Greece, at the opening of the Champions League, Olympique de Marseille has the opportunity to redeem itself, Tuesday, October 27, at home against Manchester City, on the occasion of the second day of the group stage.

The Premier League tenor, coached by Pep Guardiola, is certainly not the ideal opponent to face for a team still in a break-in period and in search of a rebound.  

If they did not really intend to fill up on points against the Citizens, they also did not expect to lose any against the opponent most within their reach on paper, Olympiakos.

They must therefore react quickly, at home at the Vélodrome, even deprived of their public due to the curfew.

And this European poster has the potential to motivate and transcend the men of André Villas Boas, who for the moment, have already distinguished themselves this season by offering themselves a prestigious victory against PSG, on September 13 at the Parc des Princes. .  

Payet and Benedetto in bad shape 

But since this success, eagerly awaited by Marseille fans, OM have alternated between good and bad, even if, in the end, they are placed in ambush at the foot of the Ligue 1 podium, where they point to 4th place, 3 points behind the Parisian leader.

It is especially in the game that the questions remain, since with the exception of the match against Bordeaux on October 17, dominated by the Olympians (3-1), the latter have never really dictated their law to their opponents.  

Some executives of the team are struggling to fully return to their season, like a Dimitri Payet less bleeding on his left side, a less impactful Morgan Sanson in the middle, and a Dario Benedetto with absent subscribers facing to the opposing goal. 

Even if he struggles on the front of the attack, the Argentine striker has still not scored a single goal since the resumption.

Caught up in social media by some Marseille supporters, he seems to be in total loss of confidence.

Problem, the leaders of the club did not recruit a goalscorer during the transfer window, depriving the ambitious Portuguese coach of an alternative to this crucial position. 

To force the fate of a match, the Phocéens rely on Florian Thauvin, scorer of three league goals, on the strength of their defense, embodied by Alvaro Gonzalez, and on the irremovable goalkeeper Steve Mandanda, always so decisive in the goals.

In addition to these sure values, the activity of Valentin Rongier in the midfield, as well as the very promising performances of the young recruits Léo Balerdi, Pape Gueye and Michael Cuisance, are grounds for hope.

Enough to worry Manchester City and its offensive armada, which logically beat FC Porto (3-1) at the opening of the most prestigious European competition?

"It's a winning machine, it's going to be tough"

"He is the favorite of the group, lucidly concedes André Villas Boas, at a press conference, Saturday after the narrow victory of his players in Lorient (0-1). We will see what we will put in place. be hard to contain them. City concedes few opportunities. We will have to take advantage of those we will have, "said the Marseille coach. 

And to continue: "If you press them, it can go wrong because it's a team that always finds solutions between the lines, with its mobility. It's a very hard team when you press it. It's a machine. to win, it's going to be hard. "

Clearly in an outsider position for this match, the Marseillais, who will not yet play their future in the competition on Tuesday, have the opportunity to play liberated and strike a big blow to definitely launch their season. 

Especially since apart from their European coup, the stars of City do not impress anyone for the moment in the Premier League, where they are ranked 8th, with only 2 wins in 5 matches.

The summary of the week

France 24 invites you to come back to the news that marked the week

I subscribe

Take international news everywhere with you!

Download the France 24 application

google-play-badge_FR