Pointed 7 lengths behind its evening opponent, Olympique de Marseille must at all costs win at home against Nice to continue to believe in European qualification in Ligue 1.
This is the charm of Marseille, that of a club from which we no longer really know what to expect other than its ability to surprise. It is also the story of inconsistency, of an absence of guideline in the results which means that one month from the end of the season, Olympique de Marseille is stuck in the soft underbelly of the League 1to a sad 9e place, far from the initial ambitions.
Gasset asks for aggression
Except that with 5 days to go until the end of the championship, time is running out for Jean-Louis Gasset’s squad, once again hanging on last weekend in Toulouse where they only saved themselves from an equalizer from Moumbagna coming out of nowhere at the end of added time (2-2). A paradoxical draw because the Marseille coach had decided to rotate on the banks of the Garonne to spare his men but which did not satisfy him. Also, he hopes to see a reaction against Nice.
In this sense the return of executives should do good forOM. “I had left executives like Veretout, Aubameyang or Balerdi. Tomorrow, we will have fresh executives. We will be operational”, assures Gasset, who also announced that Clauss was available again and that he maintained his confidence in Pau Lopez not to his advantage in Toulouse. Good news because his team desperately needs to revive in Ligue 1 after four games without a win (3 defeats and a draw).
If Nice does not appear to be the ideal opponent for this, the fact of hosting them at the Vélodrome should constitute an undeniable asset. Indeed, if he skates away with only 2 victories in 15 Championship matches, in front of his supporters, OM is transformed. This season, in all competitions, only Paris Saint-Germain has managed to win on the Marseille pitch. “We have to find this state of mind, this aggressiveness and this efficiency which means that in our den, we are hard to play”demands Gasset who will have to find the right words again.
“It will be a fundamental match”
Because on the other hand, Nice does not intend to let a competitor for Europe return to the race. “This match will be fundamental. Everything is still open from the 2e at 10e place”knows Francesco Farioli well, who hopes that his team can take advantage of an opponent perhaps distracted by objectives other than Ligue 1. “We are facing a team that could already have their heads turned towards the Europa League semi-final.”
A wish more than a reality but Nice is ready for this duel between clubs from the south-east of France. After a slump, the Aiglons showed a more interesting face against Lorient with the clearest victory of their season (3-0). “I expect a difficult match against Nice. They were a little less good but against Lorient (3-0), I found an incisive team”, confirms Gasset whose problem will be as much to score against the best defense in the Championship (22 goals conceded, editor’s note) as to block Moffi and others while Mbemba will not be able to hold his place. Everything will once again depend on the mask that the Marseillais present.