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Saturday sees Marseille play host to Brest in a Ligue 1 clash at the Stade Velodrome.
Marseille are currently in sixth place in the Ligue 1 table, while Brest sit seven places below them in 13th.
New boss Jorge Sampaoli will aim to lead Marseille to their second win in a week, while Brest will hope to spring an upset.
Marseille vs Brest Head-to-Head
Marseille are coming into this game off the back of a strong win over Rennes in a rescheduled match on Wednesday night.
The match, which was postponed in January due to fan protests at Marseille’s training ground, ended with an 88th-minute winner from Mickael Cuisance.
Marseille have now lost just twice since the departure of former boss Andre Villas-Boas in early February. Their recent form suggests they could make a late surge up the table towards European qualification.
Meanwhile, Brest picked up their first win in four league games on 3 March, defeating strugglers Dijon 3-1.
Inconsistent form throughout 2020-21 has seen Brest float around the mid-table area this season.
However, their porous defense is definitely a concern. They’ve now conceded 50 goals – giving them the third-worst defensive record in Ligue 1.
The last time these two sides faced off, we were treated to a thriller that saw Marseille win 3-2 thanks to a late winner from Duje Caleta-Car.
In fact, Brest have not defeated Marseille since February 2012.
Marseille form guide: D-D-L-L-W
Brest form guide: D-L-L-W-L
Marseille vs Brest Team News
Marseille
Valentin Rongier and Jordan Amavi are sidelined for the home side in this game. They are expected back later in the month.
Injured: Valentin Rongier, Jordan Amavi
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Brest
Brest have two players unavailable for this game due to knee injuries. Defenders Christophe Herelle and Denys Bain remain sidelined.
Injured: Christophe Herelle, Denys Bain
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Marseille vs Brest Predicted XI
Marseille predicted XI (4-3-3): Steve Mandanda, Pol Lirola, Leonardo Balerdi, Duje Caleta-Car, Yuto Nagatomo, Pape Gueye, Boubacar Kamara, Mickael Cuisance, Florian Thauvin, Dario Benedetto, Dimitri Payet
Brest predicted XI (4-4-2): Gautier Larsonneur, Ronael Pierre-Gabriel, Brendan Chardonnet, Lilian Brassier, Romain Perraud, Haris Belkebla, Jean Lucas, Paul Lasne, Franck Honorat, Irvin Cardona, Steve Mounie
Marseille vs Brest Prediction
This could be a close match to call as neither side have been in tremendous form recently. However, Marseille’s squad may give them a higher ceiling than Brest.
Marseille may also benefit from the “new manager bounce” and the confidence boost that comes with it. We expect a tight home win in this fixture.
Prediction: Marseille 2-1 Brest
