Preview: Le Havre vs Marseille - prediction, team news, lineups

Seeking to get back into a European position, Marseille will visit Stade Oceane on Sunday for a date with Le Havre on matchday 33 of the Ligue 1 campaign for both sides.

Le Club Doyen sit 14th in the table following a 1-1 draw at Lille, while Marseille are seventh, having lost 3-0 to Nantes the last time out.

Match preview

At the moment, Le Havre are doing just enough to survive the drop into Ligue 2, earning five consecutive draws.

That has Didier Digard’s men assured of avoiding automatic relegation, and four points ahead of Auxerre, who are in the relegation playoffs for now.

With a win on Sunday, the Normandy side could officially secure a place in this competition next season, while also surpassing their points total from the previous campaign (34).

Le Havre are unbeaten in their last three domestic affairs at Stade Oceane, going pointless in just one of those previous nine such outings.

In three of their last four league games, they have drawn first blood but failed to win, dropping points four times this year in that scenario.

Their only two triumphs of 2026 in this competition came against teams currently in the top half of the table, earning 2-1 home victories over Toulouse and Strasbourg, respectively.

European football next season is still a possibility at Marseille, though they are making it incredibly hard on themselves down the stretch of 2025-26.

Habib Beye’s team have dropped points in three successive Ligue 1 affairs, while winning just one of their previous six matches in this competition.

Meanwhile, they have lost their last three league games outside Stade Velodrome, netting only one time over that dismal stretch.

Making a second consecutive Champions League appearance will be a tall order, however, as this team are currently five points below Lille for a qualifying spot in that competition.

Another defeat for them on Sunday, combined with victories from Monaco and Rennes, would ensure OM miss out on Europe for the second time over the last three campaigns.

Les Minots have won their last 11 meetings with Le Havre across all competitions, four of which took place in Normandy, including a 3-1 win in this exact fixture a season ago.

Le Havre Ligue 1 form:

Marseille Ligue 1 form:

Team News

A sore knee may keep Abdoulaye Toure out of the Le Havre fold on Sunday, Mbwana Samatta is questionable due to a knock, and Noam Obougou has a groin strain.

At the same time, Stephan Zagadou is out because of a cruciate ligament tear, while Arouna Sangante is eligible to return from his suspension.

Issa Soumare had their only strike at Lille last weekend, netting a few minutes after Lille had taken the lead with his team-leading seventh of the season.

In Marseille, Nayef Aguerd has a groin issue, CJ Egan-Riley is dealing with a muscle problem, Geoffrey Kondogbia hurt his thigh and Bilal Nadir has a sore hamstring.

Meanwhile, a knock could prevent Himad Abdelli from featuring versus Le Havre, and first-choice goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli is dealing with lower back pain.

Jeffrey de Lange is expected to take his place between the sticks, while Igor Paixao and Amine Gouiri should both be available, having featured last week after both missing the match against Nice through injuries.

Le Havre possible starting lineup:

Diaw; Nego, Seko, Lloris, Pembele; Kechta, Ebonog; Doucoure, Boufal, Soumare; Koffi

Marseille possible starting lineup:

de Lange; Weah, Balerdi, Medina, Palmieri; Vermeeren, Hojbjerg; Greenwood, Timber, Paixao; Gouiri

We say: Le Havre 0-3 Marseille

Eventually, Marseille should be able to break out of their slump, and Le Havre appear to be an ideal team for them to play right now, with OM having no problem scoring against them over the past few years.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.