http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Olympique-de-Marseille-c40127 Vs AS Saint-Etienne – French Ligue 1 2011 2012 Preview
Olympique de Marseille coach Didier Deschamps would be hoping that his side put an end to their defensive problems and register their first league win of the season when they take on an in-form AS Saint-Etienne side at the Stade Velodrome.
In each of their last two games, Les Phoceens have simply thrown their leads away. First, Didier Deschamps’ men threw a two-goal lead away at Sochaux in a game that ended in a 2-2 draw and last week, Marseille drew 2-2 against Auxerre after going 2-0 up
at halftime.
The 2009/2010 Ligue 1 champions are looking great while going forward. http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Mathieu-Valbuena-c24690 and Lucho Gonzalez are doing excellently in pulling the strings from the midfield. Loic Remy is in great scoring form and has scored in seven consecutive league games
that stretch back to the last few games of the 2010/2011 campaign.
However, with the season only having started two weeks ago, Marseille are already playing catch-up. Deschamps knows that in order to get their campaign up and running, his side will have to stop leaking goals.
While talking to the media Deschamps said that his side’s defence has to improve a lot and said, “I will just have to keep repeating it until the players get the message. There have been too many errors, whether individual or collective.”
Great start
Les Verts have lost all of their last six Ligue 1 encounters with Marseille at the Stade Velodrome but coach Christophe Galtier must be pleased with the start of the season. Saint-Etienne are in great shape at the moment and have won both of their Ligue
1 encounters this season. In the first game, the Rhone side beat Bordeaux and then beat Nancy Lorraine last week.
Les Verts have won their first two Ligue 1 games of the season for the first time since the 1973-74 season and are determined to pile more pressure on Marseille.
While talking to the media, Galtier said that his side will go to the Stade Velodrome without any pressure on them and added, “It’s always important to get wins on the board at the start of the season. At Bordeaux we were perhaps a little lucky. Against
Nancy, there were plenty of positives, although going forward we lacked precision at times.”
Despite a major squad overhaul this summer, Saint-Etienne have made a great start to the season. http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Carlos-Bocanegra-c8396 left the club
for Glasgow http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Rangers-c40314 this week but Galtier is pleased with the way new players have settled down.
Team news
Marseille
Stephane M’Bia is out for six weeks after fracturing his metatarsal in last week’s 2-2 draw against Auxerre while Andre-Pierre Gignac is not expected to feature until the start of September.
Saint-Etienne
New signings http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Paulão-c29407 as well.
Predictions
With Marseille in great scoring form but showing defensive frailties and Saint-Etienne in great shape, the encounter is bound to be an exciting so a high scoring game can’t be ruled out.
Predicted final score: Marseille 3-3 Saint-Etienne
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