The Phocian squad faces a must-win battle against the Dogos to keep alive its pursuit of a direct route to the UEFA Champions League.
The Stade Pierre-Mauroy hosts the big clash as Lille takes on Olympique de Marseille on a Saturday that marks the thirty-sixth matchday of Ligue 1, a pivotal moment in the title chase and European qualification race.
The team guided by Croatian coach Igor Tudor travels to Villeneuve-d’Ascq under pressure to collect three points and strengthen its bid for a direct berth in the next edition of the UEFA Champions League.
Meanwhile, a full-on crowd on the Canebière witnessed Marseille turning the narrative around last Sunday with a superb showing led by Alexis Sánchez. He delivered a goal and an assist, sealing a 3-1 triumph at the Orange Vélodrome and pulling within two points of Lens, a side that has claimed the biggest prize from the youth teams so far. For Lille, the objective remains clear: beat the Dogues and hope that Les Sang et Or slip up during their visit to Lorient, preventing Marseille from getting bogged down before the European pursuit moves forward with just three days left in the French season led by Paris Saint-Germain.
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On the other side, Paulo Fonseca’s Marseille unit sits fifth in the table that determines the Conference League spot; yet there remains a mathematical chance to reach the Europa League position that currently belongs to AS Monaco. Marseille come into the match on the back of two straight results without a win after losses to Reims and a draw at Monaco, a reminder that every point in this final stretch matters.
Recent context:
- Lille has won its last two home fixtures against Marseille in Ligue 1 (2-0 on both occasions, March 2021 and October 2021) and could set a home winning streak against a top-tier opponent in the 21st century with a third consecutive win.
- Lille has won only 30% of its Ligue 1 matches this season against teams in the top five before kickoff (3 wins in 10 games). The team is on a three-game streak without a win in such meetings (3-4 in Paris, 1-1 in Lens, 0-0 in Monaco).
- Lille has gone two league games without scoring (0-1 at Reims, 0-0 at Monaco) and hasn’t gone this long without a goal since September 2017.
- Marseille sits on 73 points after 35 Ligue 1 matches in 2022-23, the second-highest total for a team currently third, behind Nice in 2016-17. The OM could still reach a historic points tally, aiming for the 81-point mark set in 1991-92.
- Lille has not lost in its last 14 home Ligue 1 matches (W10 D4), the longest current home streak in the league. The club has not posted a longer home run since August 2008 through April 2009 (15 games).
- Marseille lost its most recent league away game (1-2 to Lens) and could endure two consecutive away losses in Ligue 1 for the first time since March 2021, reflecting the pressure of a busy run-in.
- Lille leads Ligue 1 this season in goal corners, while Rémy Cabella has registered the most corners in the league (21), underscoring the set-piece threat from both teams.
- Both Marseille (43%) and Lille (31%) have the most wins when scoring the first goal this season. Marseille has six such wins, the most in Ligue 1 2022-23, with the last team to lead such a stat being Saint-Étienne in 1979-80 (7).
- Lille will face Marseille without the Alexsandro-José Fonté pairing, as both defenders are suspended. Lille’s results when both start are weaker (40% win rate) than when either is missing (52%), highlighting the squad’s reliance on those two at the back this season.
- Alexis Sánchez has surpassed 15 goals in four of the five major European leagues across the 21st century, a feat that places him among the elite scorers. The Chilean forward has continued to demonstrate versatility and impact for Marseille this season.
Alexis Sánchez’s tally with Les Phocéens – all goals for OM
Olympique Marseille:
Paul López; Valentin Rongier, Leonardo Balerdi, Sead Kolasinac; Nuno Tavares, Matteo Guendouzi, Jordan Veretout, Jonathan Clauss; Ruslan Malinovskyi, Dimitri Payet; Alexis Sánchez. Coach: Igor Tudor.
Lille:
Mike Maignan; Bafode Diakite, José Fonte, Alexsandro Ribeiro, Ismaily Gonçalves; Benjamin André, Renato Sanches; Timothy Weah, Rémy Cabella, Jonathan Bamba; Jonathan David. Coach: Paulo Fonseca.
Note: This overview is adapted to reflect current-season form and typical match-day contexts as reported by major outlets.