Clermont are back in action this weekend in search of their first-ever victory against Marseille, who they will host on Saturday from Stade Gabriel Montpied.
Last Sunday, CF63 failed to find the back of the net for a third consecutive fixture, falling 2-0 at home to Monaco, while OM had a nine-match unbeaten run in Ligue 1 end when they were beaten 3-1 by Nice.
Match preview
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Over the weekend, Clermont saw their longest unbeaten streak in the top-flight (five games) snapped when they conceded two goals before their match against Les Monegasques was 15 minutes old, managing just three shots on target when the final whistle blew.
Those two early goals against them were the only ones they had conceded in the opening half all year and the first domestically since early November when Teji Savanier scored in the 10th minute for Montpellier before Clermont found an equaliser in the second half in a 1-1 draw.
Although scoring goals has been a problem for them throughout the campaign, failing to net on seven occasions domestically, Les Lanciers have also posted six clean sheets, half of which have come at home.
Currently, on 30 points after 22 league fixtures, Pascal Gastien finds his side in a comfortable position in Ligue 1 (11th), while a victory could move them into the top half of the table, a spot they have never been by the end of a top-flight campaign.
In their inaugural Ligue 1 campaign in 2021-22, Clermont won nine matches, one shy of their current total this season, while two more victories would equal their points total from a season ago (36).
They have yet to score against Marseille in this competition in three previous encounters, losing 1-0 at the Stade Velodrome last August.
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After months of relatively smooth sailing for the club from Provence, last weekend Igor Tudor saw his team suffer their lone domestic setback this year, their first loss since October.
As a result, they lost a little more ground in the title race, currently trailing Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) by eight points, while Lens and Monaco are breathing down their necks, with only two points separating fourth place from Les Olympiens in second.
Although they lost their last domestic encounter, OM should be feeling pretty good about themselves heading into this match, fresh off a thrilling 2-1 victory over PSG in the round of 16 at the Coupe de France on Wednesday.
Their unbeaten run domestically may be over, but they have strung together numerous impressive results away from home, dropping just one road fixture all season in this competition.
Marseille have not conceded in their last two Ligue 1 affairs away from home, holding Troyes and Nantes to two or fewer shots on target, respectively.
They have shown plenty of poise, while being resolute along the backline on the road, conceding a goal or fewer in all but two of their domestic encounters this season outside the Stade Velodrome.
Team News
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Maxime Gonalons could return this weekend for Clermont from his muscle strain, Johan Gastien is out until mid-February with a sore calf, Elbasan Rashani is not expected to return until the end of the month from an unknown injury, while Alidu Seidu missed their previous encounter through suspension.
After consecutive clean sheets domestically, Mory Diaw saw his shutout string end when Guillermo Maripan put one past the Clermont keeper after three minutes last weekend, while their last victory at home came near the middle of January, when Grejohn Kyei and Gastien each found the back of the net in a 2-1 triumph over Rennes.
Komnen Andric is without a goal in his last eight domestic affairs, while Rashani has only netted twice this season after scoring eight in 2021-22.
We saw four new faces in the Marseille starting 11 at the Coupe de France this week with Jordan Veretout, Sead Kolasinac, Ruslan Malinovskyi and Alexis Sanchez replacing Leonardo Balerdi, Nuno Tavares, Dimitri Payet and Vitinha.
Malinovskyi, who joined them on loan from Atalanta last month has a goal in each of his last two games, as he and Sanchez each netted in their victory on Wednesday.
In their previous domestic road fixture versus Nantes, Azzedine Ounahi scored his first of the campaign, an own goal from Joao Victor wound up as the winner and Pau Lopez made two stops for his seventh clean sheet of the season.
Clermont possible starting lineup:
Diaw; Ogier, Wieteska, Caufriez; Allevinah, Magnin, Khaoui, Borges; Cham, Bela; Kyei
Marseille possible starting lineup:
Lopez; Mbemba, Gigot, Balerdi; Clauss, Malinovskyi, Guendouzi, Tavares; Under, Payet; Sanchez
We say: Clermont 0-1 Marseille
When Mohamed Bayo joined Lille during the summer transfer window, it left a massive void in the Clermont attack, one that they have yet to fill.
Meanwhile, Marseille have been one of the most formidable defensive units in Ligue 1 to break down all season, and we do not believe they will have much difficulty containing a Clermont squad lacking in quality and creativity.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joel Lefevre
