Good evening and welcome to Sports Mole’s live commentary of Lyon vs. Marseille in Ligue 1.

Team news is just reaching us here, so without further ado...

Lyon: Vercoutre, M.Lopes, Bisevac, Umtiti, Bedimo, Fofana, Gonalons, Gourcuff, Grenier, Gomis, Lacazette

Marseille: Mandanda, Fanni, Diawara, N'Koulou, Mendy, Lemina, Cheyrou, Thauvin, Payet, J.Ayew, Gignac.

Tonight's game will be an interesting one. Both teams are usually considered as two of the heavyweights of Ligue 1, but results have suggested otherwise this season. Marseille are currently sixth in the division, but Lyon are languishing in 11th.

Of course, most eyes tend to look towards 'the big two' in the division with the wealthy Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco battling it out for the Ligue 1 title, as well as a challenge from dark horses Lille, but tonight's game is perhaps still viewed as one of the bigger fixtures in the French footballing calendar.

Marseille recently sacked coach Elie Baup with sporting director Jose Anigo taking over, it would appear that Fabrizio Ravenelli has designs on taking over at Stade Velodrome however...

"I have always dreamed of becoming the manager of Marseille. I hope that Santa gives me this present," he recently told reporters.

Frederic Antonetti also staked his claim recently: "The Marseille job interests me yes, but there is no contact."

For now though, Anigo remains in charge and OM are currently on a disappointing run of results, they have lost their last three and and haven’t won since they beat Montpellier 2-0 last month.

What about the home side? Lyon have enjoyed mixed fortunes of late, they beat Bastia 3-1 away in their last game in the division, but drew 1-1 with Tolouse after they were hammered 4-0 by PSG at the beginning of the month.

However, the were victorious in the Europa League Vitoria de Guimaraes in the Europa League, when they won 2-1.

Elsewhere in the division this evening, Bordeaux beat Valenciennes 2-1, while Lille edged past Bastia by the same scoreline.

PSG and Monaco recorded away wins on Saturday, with the league leaders overcoming Rennes 3-1 thanks to goals from Edinson Cavani, Thiago Motta and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Meanwhile, Monaco won 2-0 at Guingamp with goals from Layvin Kurzawa and Anthony Martial.

We're just about ready to go here.

KICKOFF: We're off and running.

Not much happening in the first few seconds. Both teams struggling to keep hold of the ball first and foremost.

Clement Grenier gets a sight of goal from all of 30 yards, but the shot is always rising and doesn't trouble the goal.

Grenier swings in a corner, but it is easily cleared by Marseille. Lyon have settled the quicker of the two sides here though.

Marseille starting to get a slight foothold in the game, and they forced a corner that came to nothing. It is better from the visitors though.

Miguel Lopes finds Bafetimbi Gomis with a long ball and the striker brings it down nicely to begin an attack, but Marseille get numbers back and thwart the build-up early on.

CHANCE! Lacazette chases onto a long ball over the top but Mandanda is out quickly to concede the throw in. The Lyon man was close to getting their though, and he would have had an empty net to tap into.

CHANCE! Lacazette denied again. This time Grenier finds him with a delicious dink over the defence and the forward can only strike it straight at Mandanda in the Marseille goal. Big chance, could have done better.

Miguel Lopes has started this game well, and his cross is almost met by Lacazette, but Rod Fanni did well to edge him out of it. Good defending from Fanni.

That was risky from Lopes! Mendy scampered away down the left, and the defender definitely left the ground with his challenge. It was clean, but risky nonetheless.

So cool from the striker! Grenier sends in a low cross and he feints to shoot before switching it on his right foot with Mandanda on the floor and he simply clips it into the net. Great finish.

Probably deserved lead for the home side. Lacazette looks sharp, Grenier is pulling the strings too. Payet has Marseille's first real effort but his low drived is held by Vercoutre.

That's nine goals in 16 games for Lacazette. He is starting to justify his spot as a central striker for OL.

Gourcuff tries to play Gomis in with a dinked pass over the top but the striker cannot control the ball and he had strayed marginally offside regardless.

Freekick in a good position inside left for Lyon here. Bedimo was fouled as he escaped down the wing. Cynical foul there.

Grenier fires it straight into the wall, and then his high punt into the box is easily cleared. It is all Lyon though, and you would back them to add to their opener here.

Miguel Lopes is finding acres of space down this right hand side and sooner or later he will be picked out. It is sure to lead to problems for Marseille if and when it happens.

CHANCE! Henri Bedimo fires one over from the edge of the box. Sat up nicely for him too. Should have done better.

BOOKING: Lacazette goes into the book for a late challenge.

Gignac has been totally starved of service up front for Marseille. They have offered virtually nothing going forward. They have had more possession the last couple of minutes though.

Gomis finds Lacazette who is fouled on the edge of the box. The referee waves advantage as Lopes gets it wide, but the home side would have probably preferred a freekick there in the good position.

Gignac shows his frustration at being flagged offside. It was tight, and he has had nothing to work with this evening.

Mandanda's kick is charged down by Lacazette but the keeper gets lucky as it bounces to Fanni and the defender clears the danger. Lyon have quietened down the last 10 minutes or so.

CHANCE! Marseille's first real chance comes from Jordan Ayew. It was instinctive and inventive from the striker. He almost back-heeled it goalwards, but Vercoutre sprung up well to claw the ball away.

Gignac goes in from a cross, but he gives away a foul with a high boot as Bisevac goes in with his head.

It's lovely play from Bedimo who cuts inside from the left before squeezing it through to Gomis and the France international takes his sixth of the season with a left-footed finish. Crucial time to score, and it could go a long way to securing the points here.

Well, isn't that just football! He's had nothing to feed off, but the striker takes matters into his own hands. Cuts inside from the left and sends a low drive through Vercoutre. The goalkeeper might feel he could have done better, but a great response from the visitors. That really did come out of nowhere.

Bafetimbi Gomis: "We know we're at home and it's a difficult position in the table. We have opened the scoring, forced Marseille high up the field and we're still in front."

Well, it took a while to get going, but it's certainly heating up now. Marseille have offered very little, but somehow Gignac popped up with a goal that got his side back into it. Lyon have a deserved lead. OM will be feeling a lot better though after Gignac's strike.

Gignac's goal has set this up perfectly for the neutral in the second half. You feared for Marseille after Gomis's strike, but OM will have something to aim for in the second half.

Turning our attentions to other results around Europe today..

UPDATE: In the Premier League, Manchester United beat Aston Villa 3-0 at Villa Park, while Liverpool hammered Tottenham Hotspur 5-0 at White Hart Lane. Norwich City and Swansea City drew 1-1 at Carrow Road.

UPDATE: In a host of fixtures in Serie A, Juventus beat Sassuolo 4-0, and Napoli are currently beating Inter Milan 3-2. You can of course, view the match reports from all today's fixtures on the Sports Mole homepage.

UPDATE: In La Liga, Real Sociedad hammered Real Betis 5-1 Sevilla drew with Athletic Bilbao 1-1 and Almeria and Espanyol was goalless. Atletico Madrid are goalless with Valencia at half time.

UPDATE In the Bundesliga, Schalke beat Freiburg 2-0, while Bayer Leverkusen were beating by Frankfurt at home 1-0.

Back to tonight's clash, and I think Lyon will add to their lead in the second half. Marseille cannot be counted out though, they are still in this game, despite being second best throughout the first period.

We're just about ready for the second half at Stade Gerlon.

KICKOFF And we're off and running in the second half.

Mathieu Valbuena has been missed for Marseille this evening. The creative France international would surely have helped the visitors make more chances in the opening period.

Gomis tried to battle his way through the Marseille area, but he is eventually crowded out and the visitors come away with it.

Not a lot happening in the second half so far. Very similar to the first half. Lacazette gives the crowd something to shout about though with a low effort that is tipped round the post by Mandanda.

CHANCE! Should be 3-1 no question, but what an important save from Mandanda. Gomis has the freedom of the area but his well-struck effort is beaten out and Gourcuff's second attempt is blocked. Marseille cut open again.

Mendy is robbed of possession on the edge of his own box, but Gomis cannot make the most of it and Marseille eventually scramble it clear.

It's incisive build up from Marseille as a through ball reaches Mendy out wide and his fizzed low cross evades everyone in the box. That was lovely one-touch stuff by the OM. Shame there was no striker anticipating it.

CHANCE! So unlucky from Lacazette. A powerful run takes him beyond two Marseille defenders his well-struck left-footed effort goes just over.

Grenier is perhaps unlucky not to win a penalty. He goes down inside the area and the referee gives the award the other way.

SUBSTITUTE: Gomis makes way for Benzia.

Lopes's first real charge down the right in the second half is halted with a what looked like a foul. Referee ignores it though and play carries on.

Some light relief here as a fan runs on the pitch. However, the stewards are too slow to catch him, much to the amusement of the crowd. The youngster is then wrestled away by the officials after giving up, head to toe in Lyon merchandise.

CHANCE! Gignac tries to find Thauvin with a low cross but Vercoutre dives on it and then nearly loses it. If Thauvin was more alert he might have had a tap in there.

Sloppy from both sides as Lyon give it away in a dangerous area, but Marseille hand it straight back when trying to set up an attack.

Gourcuff goes down under a challenge from Fanni inside the area. The defender was lucky to escape without conceding a penalty there and Gourcuff will have to come off for Jordan Ferri following the challenge.

SUBSTITUTE: Fanni and Payet make way for Khalifa and Abdallah in a double swap for Marseille.

Thauvin's freekick seems to loop off both Bedimo and Lacazette to give Marseille an unlikely equaliser. They haven't really deserved that, but they won't care about that.

Will we see a winner here? Marseille have somehow clawed their way back into this from two goals down. Against the run of play both times, but who would bet against them now? We're set for a big 10 minutes at Stade Gerlon.

Thauvin takes a swipe at a cross, and it hits his standing foot to go harmlessly wide, but it's a signal of attacking intent that has been conspicuous by its absence for Marseille this evening.

Grenier wins a freekick wide left towards the edge of the box. Good position, what have they got in store...

Grenier fizzes it in but Gignac is back to head away. That has been his biggest contribution of the half. Five minutes left, is there to be a winner?

BOOKING: Grenier goes in the book.

It's almost yardage for Lyon, three successive freekicks have got them right up the field and they have one on the edge of the box after Lacazette was wrestled to the floor.

CHANCE! Grenier curls it round the wall but it's too close to Mandanda.

Big waste for Lyon. Grenier won it wide left and Lacazette was free inside the box but his cross was claimed by Mandanda. Well played goalkeeper!

Well, that perhaps just typifies Lyon's night. Grenier gets it 30 yards from goal and they have the momentum, but Benzia receives the pass in an offside position on the left.

Thauvin wins a header inside the box and Vercoutre holds it well. Good save and it really would have been harsh on Lyon had that gone in.

Freekick around 40 yards from goal. This is surely the last action of the night...

FULL TIME: Lyon 2-2 Marseille Grenier struck it from all of 40 yards and it was a poor one. Great etnertainment at Stade Gerlon though.

Well Lyon will be wondering how they haven't won that one. They didn't have too many glorious chances, but they were the better side throughout and Marseille have escaped with a draw.

Well, that's about all from me. Until next time, bye for now.