Olympique de Marseille, which is suffering this season at the Vélodrome, receives Montpellier on Friday to retain its second place before Lens, two points behind, travels to Rennes on Saturday, during the 29th day of Ligue 1 In fourteen home matches , OM have accumulated three draws and four defeats. “It’s as if we were playing the Champions League final in every match,” Marseille coach Igor Tudor told the daily L’Équipe this week.
“And then, in this boiling stadium, arrive Strasbourg, Angers or Ajaccio. And what do their players say to each other? ‘My God, today is magnificent, look at this, this public, this stadium, we can’t miss!’ They’re the game of the year, and that costs you points.” This will still be the case on Friday (9 p.m.) against Montpellier (11th), once again solid since the return of Michel Der Zakarian in early February and which sees the relegation zone move away.
“With Envy”
“The atmosphere at the Vélodrome makes you want to play there. But you shouldn’t go there just happy to be there. You have to go there with the desire to win this match,” promised Montpellier goalkeeper Benjamin The count. The Marseillais, who won with difficulty against Reims before the international break, therefore have the pressure of the Lensois (3rd), just two points behind them.
But the Northerners, carried by a dazzling Loïs Openda for several matches, travel to Rennes on Saturday (7 p.m.), invigorated by the victory against PSG (2-0). Sunday, Paris welcomes Olympique Lyonnais to revive towards an 11th title of champion of France at the end of the season, tarnished by the last defeat at the Parc des Princes against the Bretons and by a cruel lack of desire since the elimination in eighth Champions League final by Bayern.