Olympique de Marseille Vs OGC Nice - French Ligue 1 Preview
Defending Ligue 1 champions, Olympique de Marseille will host http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/OGC-Nice-c40111 at Stade Velodrome on Wednesday, April 27, 2011. Tonight’s game is a south-coast derby and Didier Deschamp’s men know too well that three points will see them leapfrog Lille into pole
position in the Ligue 1 standings.
On Saturday, Marseille beat Montpellier 1-0 in the final of the Coupe de La Ligue to lift the domestic cup for only the second time in their history, thus becoming the first team in the French football history to win back-to-back Coupe de La Ligue finals.
All this happened before the league encounter between league leaders Lille and http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/FC-Lorient-c39153. Lorient held Lille to a 1-1 draw – a result that has now given Marseille a great chance to defend their Ligue 1 title.
Marseille in great form this year
2011 has been a great year for the Rhone giants. Earlier this season, Nice managed to beat Marseille 1-0 but since then, Marseille have lost just once this year in the league. In Week 26 of the Ligue 1, they lost to Lille 2-1 but Didier Deschamp’s men have
the best record in the league since the turn of the New Year. Last week, Lille played Montpellier and recorded a come-from-behind 2-1 victory.
While talking to the media, Didier Deschamps admitted to his team’s resolve and said, ''It's proof of our character, of our determination. You don't really realise it, but all the matches are tough with teams fighting for their lives and others going for
the title. But we've kept our hopes alive and taken the points, even if we haven't completely dominated.''
However, there’s a twist to the tale in Marseille’s great form. Les Phoceens have not been as imposing at the Stade Velodrome as some might think. In the ongoing 2010/11 season, Marseille have already dropped 16 points at home, four more than they did last
season when they won the Championelle. Nice, on the other hand, cannot call Stade Velodrome a happy hunting ground though.
Eric Roy’s men will pull off one of the biggest surprises of the season if they take all three points at the Velodrome. In 43 games at the Velodrome between Nice and Marseille, Nice have won just 4 times. Last time Nice managed to win at Velodrome was in
the 2007/08 season when they won 2-0. There are signs that Nice are hitting their top form at the right moment. Last week they beat AS Monaco 3-2 and are unbeaten in seven games in the league. Though their élan was somewhat halted when they lost 2-0 in the
semi-final of the French Cup against Lille. Roy’s side’s lack of ruthlessness was evident in that game. So tonight, Les Aiglons should make sure that they dominate proceedings from the start if they are to get a positive result.
Team News
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Olympique-de-Marseille-c40127
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Mathieu-Valbuena-c24690 might also miss the
game due to a thigh-strain.
Nice
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Anthony-Mounier-c6224 has provided ten assists this season so far, but Le Gym will have to do without the services of the injured player.
Prediction
Scoring goals away from home has been a major problem for Nice this season. They have scored just eight goals on away turfs – a statistic which makes their chances of winning even slimmer than they already are. Marseille, on the other hand, are currently
in great form, which will make it difficult to contain Didier Deschamp’s troops, who now smell the Championelle with just 6 games left in the season.
Predicted final score: Marseille 2-0 Nice
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