Preview: Marseille vs Auxerre - prediction, team news, lineups

Matchday 26 of the Ligue 1 campaign begins at Stade Velodrome on Friday as Marseille seek to move all alone into third place when hosting relegation-threatened Auxerre.

After a 1-0 triumph over Toulouse, OM moved up to third, even on points with Lyon, while their upcoming Burgundy opponents are 16th, drawing 0-0 with Strasbourg.

Match preview

Even amid all of the poor showings Marseille have had this year, their campaign has taken a positive turn domestically in recent weeks.

With wins in their previous two league fixtures, they are back in position to claim an automatic berth in the League Phase of next season’s Champions League.

Since a 2-0 defeat to Nantes in early January, they have yet to lose a home game in normal time versus a French club, with Habib Beye unbeaten domestically at the Velodrome since taking charge.

That said, only three points currently separate them from Rennes, Beye’s former team, for fifth, which would put them out of the Champions League running.

Another defeat on Friday would mark their second domestically at home this year, which would already be one more than they suffered in this competition in 2025.

Les Olympiens have won two of their three league outings this season against teams currently in the bottom three, though that lone home contest ended with a loss to Nantes in January.

Wins have been few and far between at Auxerre, though they have been racking up points with a certain degree of consistency since February.

Christophe Pelissier’s men have only lost one of their previous six Ligue 1 affairs (3-0 against Rennes), putting them five points below Nice for a guaranteed place in the top-flight next season.

One slip-up could change their fortunes drastically, though, with AJA a mere two points above Nantes in the final automatic relegation position.

Auxerre have failed to score a Ligue 1 goal away from home this year, but have picked up points in three straight matches as visitors in this competition.

The lowest-scoring team in the league (19 goals) have netted a total of five times in their last two league outings on the road, one more than they managed in all of their previous domestic encounters away from home before that this season.

AJA have won two of their last three Ligue 1 meetings with Marseille, including a 3-1 triumph in this exact fixture a season ago.

Marseille Ligue 1 form:

Marseille form (all competitions):

Auxerre Ligue 1 form:

Team News

Just one injury to report on the Marseille side coming into this match, with Quinten Timber doubtful due to a knock.

Mason Greenwood once again found the mark for them against Toulouse, with the former Manchester United striker currently on 14 goals in Ligue 1 this season, tied for first alongside Strasbourg’s Joaquin Panichelli.

At Auxerre, Nathan-Buayi Kiala is out because of a cruciate ligament injury, Lasso Coulibaly has a knock, while Romain Faivre remains a question mark with a sore ankle.

Oussama El Azzouzi could miss another match due to a hamstring problem, while Lassine Sinayoko must sit out because of a suspension.

Marseille possible starting lineup:

Rulli; Weah, Balerdi, Pavard, Palmieri; Kondogbia, Hojbjerg; Greenwood, Nwaneri, Paixao; Gouiri

Auxerre possible starting lineup:

Leon; Senaya, Diomande, Sierralta, Akpa; Casimir, Danois, Owusu, Oppegard; Mara, Loader

We say: Marseille 1-0 Auxerre

Auxerre have had some spirited efforts of late, but without much creativity, we expect Marseille will carry the play and eventually find a way through.

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