The Phocian team holds its breath for one last shot at a direct berth in the Champions League. A victory is required, and a Lens stumble in the final stretch would also help seal the deal.
Olympique de Marseille travels to Brest this Saturday, heading to the City of Brest’s home ground, the Orange Vélodrome, for a fixture that counts toward the second-to-last round of Ligue 1 play.
Marseille arrives at this clash following a 2-1 setback at Lille in the Bollaert-Delelis, a result that further jeopardized their hopes of securing direct qualification to the group stage of next season’s UEFA Champions League.
With that defeat marking the seventh loss of the campaign, the defending champions sit in third place on 73 points, five points adrift of Lens, who temporarily occupy the direct path to the group stage. It remains a high-stakes chase for Alexis Sanchez and the rest of the squad as they push to keep France’s Côte d’Azur club in the European picture for the upcoming campaign.
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The hopes for a dramatic late surge hinge on more than Marseille’s results; neither AS Monaco (65 points) nor Montpellier (63) can alter the course of the table in their favor without Marseille’s own strong showing. They must beat Les Ty’ Zefs and Ajaccio on the final day while waiting for Lens and Paris Saint-Germain to falter in the remaining fixtures of a Ligue 1 season led by PSG. A potential scenario could see Paris Saint-Germain extending the title further in the home of Racing Club de Strasbourg. A draw at the Stade de la Meinau would be enough for Christophe Galtier’s men to keep their faint title chances alive for at least another week.
“As long as it is mathematically possible, belief remains,” said Croatian coach Igor Tudor after the setback in Villeneuve-d’Ascq. “It will be difficult, but the team will still finish the season strong.”
Nevertheless, the task won’t be simple. Eric Roy’s Brest side arrive in good form, riding the confidence of back-to-back wins, the most recent a 2-1 victory over Clermont at Francis-Le Blé, signaling a late-season push that complicates Marseille’s path.
Alexis Sanchez’s contributions for Les Phocéens – All-time goals for OM
Olympique Marseille:
Paul Lopez; Chancel Mbemba, Samuel Gigot, Leonardo Balerdi; Jonathan Clauss, Valentin Rongier, Jordan Veretout, Sead Kolasinac; Ruslan Malinovskyi; Alexis Sanchez. DT: Igor Tudor.
Stade Francis-Le Blé:
Frame Bizot; Kenny Lala; Brendan Chardonnet, Jean-Kévin Duverne, Lilian Brassier; Pierre Lees-Melou, Haris Belkebla; Romain Del Castillo, Franck Honorat, Jérémy Le Douaron; Steve Mounié. DT: Eric Roy.
Note: This account reflects ongoing developments in the Ligue 1 title race and the European qualification picture as the season approaches its end.