We’re entering the final stages of the Ligue 1 season as teams up and down French football’s top flight attempt to finish the campaign off strong. It’s been a rollercoaster ride up to this point and over the course of the next few weeks, we expect to see more of the same across the nation. Today, we’ll be taking a look at the upcoming encounter between Marseille and Nice.
Marseille Form GuideThey may have fallen away in the title race last season, but Marseille still serve as one of the biggest clubs in French football. They have a tremendous fanbase, they have an exciting squad full of real potential, and they come across as a team with ambition. Alas, all of that will be left redundant unless they can make everything click behind the scenes - and with their management.
Marseille suffered four straight losses courtesy of Rennes, PSG, Lille and Benfica. In the second leg against Benfica, however, they secured a 1-0 win before going on to defeat the Portuguese side on penalties. In their most recent outing, they went on the road to draw 2-2 with Toulouse.
Nice Form GuideAfter another midtable campaign last season, Nice went back to the drawing board in the summer and did everything they could to assemble a strong, competitive unit from top to bottom. Based on early evidence, it certainly seems as if they’ve achieved that goal, but the big test will come in the weeks ahead as they attempt to claw back up into contention.
After losses to Montpellier and PSG, Nice picked up a nice 3-1 win over Lens. From there, they lost 2-1 to Nantes. They went on to pick up a 0-0 draw on the road against Reims before dominating Lorient 3-0 at home.
Match PredictionThis looks set to be a really competitive and entertaining affair and while we do think Nice are the ones who have the clear advantage, we don’t think they’re going to blow Marseille out of the water. Therefore, we believe the most likely outcome is under 2.5 goals scored.