Marseille entertain Eintracht Frankfurt in Group D of the Champions League on Tuesday, with both sides looking to bounce back from defeats on matchday one.
Marseille were beaten 2-0 away to Tottenham Hotspur, while Frankfurt lost 3-0 at home to Sporting Lisbon.
Match preview
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Although Marseille would have left north London disappointed having come away with no points despite being level until Richarlison's quickfire brace within the final 15 minutes of the game, head coach Igor Tudor would have been comforted by his side's resilience after Chancel Mbemba's red card only a matter of minutes after half-time.
Indeed, despite playing with one fewer outfielder for almost half of the match, Marseille still had more possession (51%) than their opponents, who almost certainly represent the toughest opposition in the group.
Their resolve was on show once again on Saturday, as they came from behind to beat Lille 2-1 at Stade Velodrome. Former Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez bagged his fourth goal in four league games as Les Phoceens won for the fifth successive league match.
With their hardest European fixture out of the way and another domestic victory keeping them level with Paris Saint-Germain at the top of Ligue 1, Tudor will feel confident that his side can carry on fighting on two fronts and progress from the Champions League group stage for the first time since the 2011-12 season.
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Frankfurt, on the other hand, are already under pressure to gain a positive result on Tuesday having lost their first ever Champions League match to Sporting Lisbon last week.
Despite playing in front of a packed Deutsche Bank Park, Oliver Glasner's side could not break their opponents down, with Marcus Edwards and Trincao both scoring within three minutes of each other to settle the game shortly after the hour mark.
In truth, the visitors looked the more slick outfit for most of the match, dominating possession and having five shots on target compared to Franfurt's two.
Having gained eight points from their previous four league games, there was further disappointment on Saturday as Frankfurt fell 1-0 at home to Wolfsburg, who had not won any of their opening five games under former Die Adler boss Niko Kovac.
A third straight defeat in France this week would make it incredibly difficult for Frankfurt to progress from Group D, while further damaging confidence and morale within the camp after failing to even register a single shot on target against the Wolves at the weekend.
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Team News
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Marseille will be without the suspended Mbemba, who could be replaced by Leonardo Balerdi on the right side of Tudor's preferred back three system.
Tudor will not be able to call upon the services of Isaak Toure, Cedric Bakambu or Bamba Dieng, as the trio were left out of Marseille's Champions League squad.
Sanchez should start having missed out against his former rivals Spurs last week, with Gerson and Cengiz Under potentially supporting the Chile forward in attack.
Frankfurt, meanwhile, will travel without Christopher Lenz, Sebastian Rode and Almamy Toure, who are all out until after the international break with injuries.
Jesper Lindstrom is likely to replace Rafael Borre from the side which lost to Wolfsburg on Saturday, meaning a more familiar central starting berth for Randal Kolo.
Marseille possible starting lineup:
Lopez; Balerdi, Bailly, Gigot; Clauss, Gueye, Guendouzi, Tavares; Under, Gerson; Sanchez
Eintracht Frankfurt possible starting lineup:
Trapp; Knauff, Tuta, Ndicka, Pellegrini; Jakic, Sow; Lindstrom, Gotze, Kamada; Kolo
We say: Marseille 2-1 Eintracht Frankfurt
The hosts are on an excellent winning streak in Ligue 1 and we can envisage them getting their Champions League campaign up and running with a win here.
Frankfurt remain an incredibly inconsistent side, with injuries disrupting their balance at present, and they may struggle to impose themselves away from home.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Brett Curtis
