With the signing of Jorge Sampaoli as head coach, Olympique Marseille’s very complicated season seems to be taking a turn for the better on the home stretch. The Phocéens, who were even top of the table for a week after matchday 14, picked up 16 of a possible 21 points from the last seven games and thus returned to sixth place after all.
In the run-up to the match between Marseille and Strasbourg, the odds are also in favour of the home side.
Racing Strasbourg, meanwhile, no longer have much at stake. The Alsatians have 37 points after 34 games. With four games to go, the six-point cushion on 18th place should be enough to keep them in the league. A point win on the Côte d’Azur could nevertheless provide additional security.
However, we don’t expect the Alsatians, who have only won one of their last six league games, to spring a surprise against the in-form Olympiens.
Prediction & Live Odds for Marseille vs. Strasbourg
For Marseille against Strasbourg, the prediction has to take into account that the Olympiens have been much stronger again recently. Under Jorge Sampaoli, they have won every single home match so far. In total, they have 16 out of a possible 21 points from the last seven league games on record.
The visitors from Alsace, on the other hand, have won only one of their last six league games and have recently failed twice in a row against relegation-threatened clubs, making life unnecessarily difficult for themselves and postponing their certain relegation.
Since l’OM have not lost to Racing in ten league games, practically everything points to a home win for the men from the Côte d’Azur, who have recently become very goal-happy and strong at home. Bet odds of up to 2.00 on home win for Marseille vs Strasbourg are available below
Marseille – Statistics & current form
As French runners-up, Olympique Marseille qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in seven years. The Phocéens are the only Ligue 1 side to have won the competition before.
However, things did not go too well there. In the group with Manchester City, Porto and Olympiakos Piraeus, the Olympiens were eliminated from the group with five defeats and 2:13 goals. At the same time, l’OM also repeatedly lost ground in the league and were unable to maintain their initially good form after a good start to the season.
16 out of a possible 21 points from the last seven games
In the winter and spring, it was several unprecedented dry spells that not only saw the club slip into no-man’s land in Ligue 1, but also ultimately cost André Villas-Boas his job. The equally luckless Nasser Larguet was then succeeded at the beginning of March by Jorge Sampaoli, who revived the Phocéens.
Most recently, the Olympiens lost only one of their last seven league games and took a commanding 16 out of a possible 21 points. This means that l’OM are back in sixth place and can still hope to catch promoted Lens in the final sprint. In fifth place, depending on the outcome of the cup competitions, they would either go into the Europa League or the newly introduced Conference League.
More potent scorers and stronger at home under Sampaoli
The task now is to maintain their strong form in the remaining four matchdays and continue to take the points in such a commanding manner. This is backed up by the fact that Jorge Sampaoli has been able to successfully turn the attack around. The eleven goals scored in the last four league games alone are proof of this.
The odds on a home win for Marseille against Strasbourg, who are still unbeaten at the Stade Vélodrome under their new coach, are therefore accordingly good. What’s more, with the Argentine on the sidelines, l’OM have won all four of their league home games, scoring 9 goals to 3.
Projected Marseille line-up:
Mandanda – Perrín – González – Balerdi – Nagatomo – Lirola – Gueye – Kamara – Thauvin – Payet – Milik
Strasbourg – Statistics & current form
Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace have had quite a few successful years. The north-eastern Frenchmen, who spent three years in the second division between 2008 and 2017 and were only third- and even fourth-tier for five seasons, only returned to Ligue 1 four years ago.
There, “Les coureurs” (in English: the runners) ended up in a respectable tenth place last year after applying the quotient rule. In the summer of 2019, they even managed to secure the Coupe de la Ligue – their first title in 14 years.
A treble from their last four league games should seal their stay in the division
However, under then-promoted coach Thierry Laurey, who still manages the Alsatians, further highs failed to materialise in the 2020/21 season. After a mixed season overall, in which Racing won ten of their 34 league games, they are currently in 15th place.
Les courers” are not really in a relegation battle. However, with a six-point lead over 18th place, they are not yet completely saved, despite a goal difference that is clearly better than that of their pursuers. At least one win in the last four league games should keep the team near the German border in Ligue 1.
Missed out on a breakaway against Nîmes and Nantes
The last two weeks will certainly be a source of regret for the Alsatians. Against Nîmes Olympique and FC Nantes – the clubs currently in 18th and 19th place – “Les coureurs” picked up only one point out of a possible six, which meant that they failed to make a move for freedom.
Thierry Laurey’s side thus failed to score against their closest rivals, which is why Racing come to the Côte d’Azur as clear underdogs. Unibet, the bookmaker tested by Wettbasis, is offering odds of 4.05 on Marseille against Strasbourg, with the north-eastern French flipping the switch at the Stade Vélodrome of all places.
Strasbourg’s likely line-up:
Sels – Carole – Djiku – Mitrovic – Caci – Liénard – Aholou – Sissoko – Thomasson – Ajorque – Diallo