In one of three all-Ligue 1 clashes in the Coupe de France round of 32, Marseille welcome Lille to the Stade Velodrome on Tuesday, keen to extend their unbeaten start to 2025.
Conversely, their opponents have battled to consecutive top-flight draws and barely made it through their round of 64 meeting with third-tier Rouen, highlighting their indifferent form before facing Roberto De Zerbi's men.
Match preview
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Despite entering their all-Ligue 1 match against Lille winless in four matches against the Mastiffs, De Zerbi's free-scoring side will back themselves to break that unwanted sequence.
The Olympians secured their place in the round of 32 after defeating fellow top-flight opponents Saint-Etienne 4-0 to close out the year, before scoring five in the 5-1 dismantling of relegation-threatened Le Havre and securing a comeback 2-1 success over Rennes on January 11.
The recent victory means De Zerbi's troops are undefeated in all competitions since November 8 — a 3-1 home loss to Auxerre in Ligue 1 — claiming six wins in seven fixtures; however, their only draw in that period came against Tuesday's opponents in mid-December, when Bafode Diakite's 87th-minute equaliser cancelled out Quentin Merlin's 17th-minute opener.
That equaliser prevented Marseille from securing their first win over Lille since September 2022, but the hosts will have another shot a month after that disappointing league draw.
Having been eliminated on penalties in consecutive Coupe de France campaigns, you would forgive the home support for hoping the midweek clash ends in normal time against a side they have struggled against.
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For their part, six-time champions Lille are not as successful as 10-time Coupe de France winners Marseille, but their 2011 triumph is more recent than the Olympians' last success in 1989.
Bruno Genesio's men enter Tuesday's round of 32 clash unbeaten in all competitions since losing 2-0 against Sporting Lisbon on September 17, a 19-match sequence without defeat; however, the Mastiffs have secured just 10 victories in those four months, representing a 52.6% win rate.
Only unbeaten Paris Saint-Germain have lost fewer matches than Les Dogues' two in Ligue 1, though the fifth-placed club's eight draws in 17 rounds remain unmatched.
The Northmen have drawn three consecutive matches in the top flight, the latest coming at mid-table Auxerre, thus seeing Genesio's men slide to fifth — outside the Champions League spots — with Lyon and Lens closing in.
They needed Ismaily's first-half strike to avoid the embarrassment of early elimination in the Coupe de France, even if the marginal result flattered the lowly hosts, who were in with a chance of levelling due to Lille's profligate finishing.
Despite an encouraging run against the Olympians, facing a top-flight opponent in Marseille will be a different proposition for the six-time champions, who are targeting a third consecutive last-16 appearance in the domestic cup.
Team News
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De Zerbi's men are dealing with several injury absentees, with Faris Moumbagna (knee), Luiz Felipe (muscle), Ruben Blanco (knee), Valentin Carboni (knee) and Chancel Mbemba all expected to miss Tuesday's contest, while Pol Lirola, Geoffrey Kondogbia and Amine Harit are doubtful.
Mason Greenwood scored the equaliser against Rennes and set up Adrien Rabiot's match-winning effort in the comeback win, highlighting the forward's decisive execution and importance for the home side.
Lille also have a raft of injury concerns: Edon Zhegrova (muscle), Samuel Umtiti (knee), Nabil Bentaleb (heart), Tiago Santos (knee), Ethan Mbappe (thigh) and Angel Gomes are expected to miss the midweek visit to Marseille.
Although he set up the game-clinching assist against Rouen in the previous round, 11-goal Ligue 1 forward Jonathan David has not scored in his last five appearances in all competitions for Les Dogues, a run he hopes to break at the Velodrome.
Marseille possible starting lineup:
De Lange; Murillo, Balerdi, Cornelius; Henrique, Hojbjerg, Rongier, Merlin; Greenwood, Rabiot; Maupay
Lille possible starting lineup:
Mannone; Meunier, Diakite, Ribeiro, Ismaily; Andre, Gomes; Cabella, Bouaddi, Haraldsson; David
We say: Marseille 2-1 Lille
The competition's format of penalties following normal time means Marseille will want to finish the tie in 90 minutes to avoid another shoot-out after consecutive disappointments in 2023 and last year.
Backed by the home support, De Zerbi's free-scoring side should eke out a close victory over Lille to end the away side's 19-match unbeaten sequence and Les Olympiens' four-game streak without beating Tuesday's opponents.
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