The new Ligue 1 season gets underway Friday night with Marseille hosting Strasbourg at the Vélodrome. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:45 p.m. local time, and Marseille will be hoping their home crowd can help get the new campaign off to a winning start.
Marseille finished fifth last season and will be looking for a much stronger challenge this time around. Strasbourg finished eighth, but the gap between the teams was still six points. On paper, Marseille have the deeper squad and considerably more attacking quality, and playing at the Vélodrome only strengthens their position.
GettyMarseille and Strasbourg battled out to a draw in their last meeting in February.
Marseille vs Strasbourg: What to Expect
Marseille should control possession for much of the game. Igor Paixão has been one of the more encouraging attacking players during preseason, while Amine Gouiri gives Bruno Génésio another proven option in the final third.
There are some concerns for the hosts. Quinten Timber is suspended, while Leonardo Balerdi is also unavailable. Marseille have enough depth to absorb those absences, however, and the overall quality of the squad remains a significant advantage.
Strasbourg should be organized and difficult to break down early in the match. They finished eighth last season and will not need much encouragement to sit deep, keep the spaces tight and make Marseille work for every opening.
But there are reasons to think that approach will eventually come under pressure.
Strasbourg are beginning the season under new coach Hugo Oliveira, while Joaquín Panichelli—who was a major source of goals for the club last season—is unavailable. Losing a player capable of providing that finishing threat makes Strasbourg’s task at the Vélodrome even tougher.
The visitors’ best hope is to keep Marseille frustrated for as long as possible. If they can reach halftime level, the pressure could shift onto the home side. But Marseille should have enough attacking options to eventually create the breakthrough.
Marseille vs Strasbourg Odds and Prediction
The current odds have Marseille as the favorite:
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Marseille | -125 |
| Draw | +320 |
| Strasbourg | +380 |
Those odds reflect the basic picture of this matchup. Marseille are the stronger team, they have home advantage and they have more players capable of changing the game in the final third.
The recent head-to-head record does provide Strasbourg with some encouragement. The teams drew 2-2 at the Vélodrome in February, and Strasbourg have been able to make several recent meetings competitive. But this is the start of a new season, and the circumstances are different.
Marseille should be able to dictate the tempo, spend more time in Strasbourg’s half and create the majority of the meaningful chances. Strasbourg can make the opening stages frustrating, but sustaining that resistance for 90 minutes will be difficult.
Prediction: Marseille 2, Strasbourg 0
The home side should have too much quality in attack, particularly as their possession game starts to wear down the visitors. A clean sheet would be an added bonus, but the priority for Génésio will be simple: three points and a positive start to his new Ligue 1 campaign.
Ligue 1 Opener: Marseille vs Strasbourg – Preview, Odds, Prediction