Preview: Marseille vs. Nantes - prediction, team news, lineups

Aiming to bounce back from a 2-1 defeat to rivals Paris-Saint Germain in Le Classique, Marseille will be looking to tighten their grip on second place with a victory against Nantes on Wednesday.

The visitors, on the other hand, can extend their unbeaten run to four matches with a positive result at the Stade Velodrome.

Match preview

© Reuters

A run of eight consecutive Marseille victories across all competitions came to an end on Sunday when PSG edged out their rivals at the Parc des Princes.

Neymar opened the scoring for the hosts before Les Phoceens restored parity through Duje Caleta-Car in the 31st minute, but PSG went into the break in front after Kylian Mbappe dispatched his spot kick in first-half stoppage time.

Les Phoceens were unable to find an equaliser in the second period, ensuring that the second-placed side would finish the weekend 15 points behind Mauricio Pochettino's charges.

The gap to PSG will not concern Marseille too much, but they will be mindful of those chasing from behind, with Rennes three points adrift of Jorge Sampaoli's side, while Nice are two points further back in fourth position.

Wednesday's hosts will be aiming to keep hold of second place, which would see Marseille qualify for next season's Champions League group stage, and a fifth consecutive home victory in all competitions would certainly help them achieve that goal.

© Reuters

The visitors currently occupy 10th spot, and with six points separating them from the top five, they may still harbour hopes of qualifying for European competition.

Although they are unbeaten in their last three matches, back-to-back 1-1 draws have prevented Nantes from closing the gap to the European places, with their most recent point coming from a home encounter with Angers.

Nantes fell behind in the 18th minute, with Sofiane Boufal grabbing the opener for Angers, however, Antoine Kombouare's side secured a point thanks to Kalifa Coulibaly's 53rd-minute equaliser.

Out of the 16 league games that La Maison Jaune have conceded the first goal this season, Sunday's contest was just the fifth time that they have managed to salvage at least a point, and the battling qualities displayed at the weekend will be needed in the final six matches if they are to make an impact on the top five.

A trip to the Stade Velodrome to face a high-quality Marseille team may instil fear into the visitors, but Kombouare will be looking for his players to draw inspiration from the fact that Nantes have won two of their last three away meetings with Les Phoceens.

Team News

© Reuters

Konrad de La Fuente and Leonardo Balerdi are expected to miss the rest of the season due to knee and shoulder injuries respectively.

Arkadiusz Milik has missed the last five matches for Marseille and the forward is not likely to recover from a thigh problem in time for Wednesday's contest.

Sampaoli is expected to opt for Pau Lopez in goal once again after the Spaniard came into the side on Sunday, while Amine Harit could come into the front three to replace Cengiz Under, who may have to settle for a place on the bench.

The visitors, meanwhile, are without Charles Traore for the rest of the season due to an ACL injury, while a calf issue is set to rule Roli Pereira de Sa out of a third consecutive game.

Jean-Charles Castelletto will also miss out as he serves a one-match suspension, which could result in Dennis Appiah being presented with a starting place for Wednesday's contest.

Kombouare will also be forced into a change in midfield after Pedro Chirivella limped off in the first half of Sunday's encounter, with Wylan Cyprien expected to be named as the 24-year-old's replacement.

Marseille possible starting lineup:

Lopez; Rongier, Saliba, Caleta-Car, Peres; Gueye, Kamara, Guendouzi; Harit, Gerson, Payet

Nantes possible starting lineup:

Lafont; Fabio, Appiah, Pallois, Merlin; Girotto, Cyprien; Kolo Muani, Blas, Simon; Coulibaly

We say: Marseille 2-1 Nantes

Despite losing in Le Clasique, Marseille will enter the contest full of confidence after winning their last four home games in all competitions, and we think that the hosts have enough quality to edge out Nantes on Wednesday.