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

Aiming to pick up where they left off in Ligue 1, fourth-placed Marseille tackle mid-table Toulouse at Stade Velodrome on Thursday.

Just before the World Cup break, OM posted successive wins over Lyon and Monaco; meanwhile, their visitors finished the season's first phase with three straight defeats.

Match preview

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In their final fixture before Qatar 2022 called time on the first part of the Ligue 1 season, Marseille played out a high-profile contest with fellow European contenders Monaco at Stade Louis II.

Trailing 2-1 heading into the final 10 minutes, Igor Tudor's side displayed great character to fight back and steal all three points in the principality, as Jordan Veretout found an 83rd-minute equaliser before Sead Kolasinac's dramatic stoppage-time winner secured an improbable triumph.

Such a success was the perfect way for OM to enter the seven-week hiatus, having stumbled through a late autumn spell in which they lost three of five league games.

After going unbeaten through the first nine top-flight matches of Tudor's reign, a tally of 19 points from a possible 21 represented the club's best-ever beginning to a Ligue 1 season. However, losses to Ajaccio and the division's top two, Paris Saint-Germain and Lens, then quelled Marseille's momentum.

They also dramatically crashed out of Europe, as Tottenham Hotspur's late win at Stade Velodrome consigned them to last place in their Champions League group.

Preparations for the remainder of the campaign began with a friendly defeat to Serie A side Sassuolo earlier this month - a game in which Alexis Sanchez and Dimitri Payet were on target for OM - and a subsequent 1-1 draw with Nimes saw Payet score once again.

Now, they resume competitive action against their favourite opponents of all: in their last 16 league meetings with Toulouse, Marseille have never been beaten.

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Ahead of Thursday's resumption, Toulouse coach Phillipe Montanier took his squad to Antalya for a mid-season training camp. There, a series of warm-up matches started with a 2-2 draw against Istanbul Basaksehir, before successive losses to Galatasaray and Montpellier.

Lacking a morale-boosting win, then, Le Tefece will hope to upset the odds at the Velodrome having gone winless in their final four league matches before the break; leaving them 12th in the table.

After letting a two-goal lead slip to draw at home with Strasbourg at the end of October, Montanier's men were beaten by Lens, Monaco and Rennes respectively amid a particularly challenging fixture list.

That run continues with this week's trip to Marseille, where the Ligue 2 champions have been beaten without scoring on both of their two most recent visits.

As a total of 27 goals conceded so far is only six fewer than they leaked throughout their entire title-winning campaign last term, Toulouse have clearly found adapting to life back in the French top flight a real test. Now just three points above the drop zone nearing the halfway stage, one of their toughest tasks of the season awaits them.

Team News

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Despite their involvement until the final day of Qatar 2022, both Matteo Guendouzi and Jordan Veretout have returned to training with Marseille and the midfield duo could team up on Thursday, having made just one start each in the Middle East.

Centre-back Eric Bailly is not expected to feature, though, as his recovery from an injury sustained against Tottenham continues. Now following an individual fitness plan, the Ivorian could play a part at Montpellier next week.

Up front for the hosts, Alexis Sanchez should retain his starting place up ahead of Bamba Dieng, with Colombian striker Luis Suarez having been shipped out on loan to Almeria during the domestic break.

Toulouse, meanwhile, may have problems to resolve in both full-back positions, as Mikkel Desler recently underwent a groin operation and his teenage deputy Kevin Keben came off injured in the friendly defeat to Montpellier. On the left, Issiaga Sylla has been sidelined by illness, so Oliver Zanden might be required to start.

Morocco star Zakaria Aboukhlal is not expected to line up in attack, as he recovers from the Atlas Lions' exertions over the past month, so centre-forward Thijs Dallinga - who scored against Rennes last time out in Ligue 1 - could be supported by Veljko Birmancevic and Rafael Ratao.

Marseille possible starting lineup:

Lopez; Gigot, Balerdi, Mbemba; Tavares, Veretout, Rongier, Clauss; Guendouzi, Harit; Sanchez

Toulouse possible starting lineup:

Dupe; Keben, Roualt, Nicolaisen, Zanden; Dejaegere, Spierings, Van den Boomen; Ratao, Dallinga, Birmancevic

We say: Marseille 2-0 Toulouse

Though Marseille have won only one of their last four Ligue 1 home games, they have been presented with a favourable fixture to kick off their post-Christmas campaign and can take maximum points on Thursday. A lack of goals has seen Toulouse toil on the road, and they have already lost to several other top-flight heavyweights this term.

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