Marseille v Olympiakos: Europa League preview, predicted line-ups and team news
Marseille need a response after a 4-1 defeat at Besiktas on matchday one. Olympiakos arrive with a win and a long injury list.
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Marseille v Olympiakos: Europa League preview
Marseille have lost their only Europa League game so far and cannot afford a second slip on matchday two.
Marseille went down 4-1 at Besiktas on 17 September. Olympiakos opened with a 2-1 home win over Jagiellonia a day earlier. Both sides have played once in the league stage, and Besiktas sit fourth in the early snapshot on three points.
The Marseille manager spoke before that Besiktas game about going all out in this competition. One heavy defeat later, that ambition is being tested early.
Marseille
Olympiakos PiraeusHow they got here
Marseille conceded four times in Istanbul, two of them between the 46th and 60th minutes. They scored once, in the first half, and had 46% of the ball. They managed 14 shots, three of them on target.
Olympiakos beat Jagiellonia 2-1 at home, scoring once before the break and once in the last 15 minutes. They had 58% possession and 26 shots, six on target. Their expected goals were 2.53 against 0.52, so the scoreline flattered the visitors.
This is a first meeting between the clubs since December 2020.
Rotation and selection
Rotation is unlikely to be a talking point. Marseille have no points and the league-stage table is tight, so a strong XI is the obvious choice. The manager has to put right a defence that shipped four goals.
Olympiakos have a slimmer attack than they started the season with. Several forwards are listed as unavailable, which limits how much their coach can change. Expect the side that beat Jagiellonia, adjusted only where injuries force it.
MarseilleOlympiakos Piraeus
- 1 Dec 202–1
- 21 Oct 201–0
- 23 Nov 110–1
- 13 Sept 110–1
Line-ups
Marseille4-3-3- 12GJ. de Lange
- 22DT. Weah
- 18DB. Meité
- 21DN. Aguerd
- 33DEmerson
- 6MT. Nnadi
- 7MA. Gomes
- 8MH. Abdelli
- 48FK. Abdallah
- 11FN. Maupay
- 14FIgor Paixão
Olympiakos Piraeus4-2-3-1- 1GS. Ortega
- 2DM. Saliakas
- 45DP. Retsos
- 5DL. Pirola
- 70DS. Onyemaechi
- 15MG. Puerta
- 32MS. Hezze
- 10MGelson Martins
- 22MChiquinho
- 20MJota Silva
- 11FR. Yaremchuk
Where to watch Marseille v Olympiakos: TV and online streams
Marseille v Olympiakos kicks off at 20:00 BST on Thursday 15 October. It is shown on TNT Sports where selected, and can also be streamed through discovery+.
This is a league-stage fixture, so there is no extra time or penalty shootout if the game finishes level after 90 minutes. Both sides take a point.
Stats for Marseille v Olympiakos
- The sides have met four times, all in the Champions League. Marseille and Olympiakos have won two each, with no draws.
- The last meeting was a 2-1 Marseille win on 1 December 2020. The four games averaged 1.5 goals.
- Marseille conceded four goals at Besiktas on 17 September. Olympiakos had 13 corners to Jagiellonia's none in their opener.
- Only one of the four previous meetings had more than 2.5 goals, and both teams scored in one of them.
Match Result: Marseille to win
Olympiakos created the better chances on matchday one, but they are short of forwards and Marseille should find it easier at home. Marseille are shaky at the back and will concede, though they have enough attacking quality to take the points.