Seeking a fourth successive home win to keep their hopes of automatic Champions League qualification alive, Marseille welcome Brest to the Orange Velodrome for Saturday's Ligue 1 showdown.
Igor Tudor's side went down 2-1 to Lille last weekend, while their visitors assured themselves of a place in the top tier courtesy of a triumph over Clermont by the same scoreline.
Match preview
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With fellow Champions League-chasers Lens not in action until Sunday last week, Marseille were presented with a glorious opportunity to pile the pressure on Les Sang et Or when they visited Lille last Saturday, and a Jonathan Clauss strike propelled Les Olympiens into the ascendancy with 29 minutes gone.
However, Les Dogues have fortified the walls of the Stade Pierre-Mauroy this term, and Marseille's slender lead was quickly wiped out by a Jonathan David penalty and Jonathan Bamba header in the second half, inflicting a second consecutive away defeat on Tudor's men following their identical loss at Lens earlier this month.
Franck Haise's men capitalised on Marseille's slip-up by beating Lorient the next day, thereby building up a five-point lead over the third-placed Olympiens, whose hopes of a direct route into the Champions League group stages will be dashed with anything other than a win on Saturday.
Even if Tudor's side can prevail, they will be consigned to a third-placed finish and place in the Champions League qualifying rounds if Lens overcome already-relegated Ajaccio at home - a bitter disappointment for a side who gave champions-elect Paris Saint-Germain a good run for their money at one stage.
While shortcomings on the road have all but wiped out Marseille's chances of a top-two finish, the hosts have strung together a five-game unbeaten streak on home soil - winning each of their last three against Troyes, Auxerre and Angers - but Tudor's charges have kept just two clean sheets at the Orange Velodrome in the current campaign.
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Clermont have been one of the surprise success stories of the 2022-23 Ligue 1 season, but Brest have been a force to be reckoned with at home under Eric Roy and sparked a survival party in front of the home crowd with a slender win over Les Lanciers last weekend.
A 43rd-minute strike from Neto Borges would seemingly allow Clermont to enter the half-time break with a 1-0 advantage, but Pirates wing king Franck Honorat cancelled out that effort only a couple of minutes later, before Steve Mounie completed the turnaround not long after the restart.
Thanks to Montpellier HSC's win over 17th-placed Nantes, Brest have successfully staved off relegation and can enjoy a simple stroll to the finish line in 14th place, and Roy's men could still rise as high as 12th with back-to-back wins over Marseille and Rennes - however unlikely that scenario might be - to close out the campaign.
Hitting form at just the right time, Brest travel to Marseille having only lost one of their last nine Ligue 1 affairs, but away-day deficiencies are still bedevilling them; Roy's side are winless in their last four matches on rival turf and have picked up just three victories on their travels all season long.
However, Brest held Marseille to a 1-1 draw at the Stade Francis Le-Ble earlier this season and stunned Les Olympiens with a 2-1 win at the Orange Velodrome in December 2021, but that represents their sole triumph from their last eight meetings with Saturday's hosts, who have not failed to score against their Breton counterparts since 2011.
Team News
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In the wake of his slap on Lens coach Yannick Cahuzac earlier this month, Marseille veteran Dimitri Payet begins a firm three-match suspension which could spell the end of his professional career amid rumours of a possible retirement - Les Olympiens have contested the charge but are set to be working without the 36-year-old this weekend.
Tudor also lost centre-back Samuel Gigot to injury last weekend after he took a kick to the head from Carlos Baleba, and concussion protocols may rule the 29-year-old out of contention here, joining Amine Harit (knee) and Azzedine Ounahi (toe) on the sidelines.
Should Gigot indeed miss out, Sead Kolasinac should be deployed in the hosts' back three, allowing either Issa Kabore or the exiled Nuno Tavares - who was not in the squad to face Lille amid alleged concerns over his attitude - to come in on the left flank.
As for Brest, Roy should only have two injury concerns to work around in the shape of Noah Fadiga, who remains out with a hip issue, and veteran striker Loic Remy, who may or may not be given the green light to return before the season is done and dusted.
The visiting head coach otherwise has a full contingent to pick from and may offer minutes to some out-of-favour players with safety guaranteed, but the calibre of Saturday's opponents should lead to a full-strength XI being deployed from the first whistle.
Marseille possible starting lineup:
Lopez; Mbemba, Balerdi, Kolasinac; Clauss, Veretout, Rongier, Kabore; Malinovskyi, Under; Sanchez
Brest possible starting lineup:
Bizot; Lala, Chardonnet, Brassier, Duverne; Lees-Melou, Belkebla; Honorat, Del Castillo, Le Douaron; Mounie
We say: Marseille 2-1 Brest
Even with nothing but pride left to play for between now and the end of the season, a defensively-sound Brest side can frustrate a withering Marseille team, especially one that just cannot keep the back door shut in front of their own fans.
However, Tudor's goal-happy charges are adept at finding ways to prevail at the Stade Velodrome and should do so again here by the narrowest of margins, although whether that will be enough to take the race for second place down to the final day remains to be seen.
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Top tip
Ben Knapton
