Marseille vs Auxerre: A win for the home side

On Sunday, April 30, Ligue 1 will see Olympique Marseille visit Auxerre at the Orange Velodrome.

The hosts are actively pursuing a spot in the UEFA Champions League for the next season. The most recent game saw Marseille defeat Olympique Lyonnais 2-1. They appeared to be headed for a draw, but they won thanks to Malo Gusto's late own goal. With 67 points after 32 games, Marseille is in second place in the league, eight points behind league-leading Paris Saint-Germain.

While Auxerre had a challenging first half of the season, they have recently experienced a turnaround under manager Christophe Pelissier. Last time, they managed to hold Lille to a 1-1 tie after M'Baye Niang netted the equalizer from the penalty spot for his fifth league goal of the year. The guests have 33 points from 32 games, which puts them in 14th place overall.

The home form and the agenda to qualify for Champions League football will make Marseille more hungry fpr the victory. 

Marseille's chances of winning the league currently appear to be slim as Paris Saint-Germain maintained their eight-point lead over Marseille last weekend. However, Marseille now has a five-point cushion after a late victory over rivals Lyon in the Derby des Olympiques, making Champions League qualification appear likely.

The home team has gone seven games without losing since dramatically losing to lower-tier Annecy in the Coupe de France semifinals.

However, Marseille has performed noticeably worse at home, which has prevented them from mounting a serious challenge to PSG. From 16 games played at home, they have only collected a pitiful 28 points, 11 fewer than they have on the road.

The previous time they played here, they defeated Troyes, but it was their first victory in six games at the Velodrome. With three victories in a row and an eight-game winning streak over Auxerre, Marseille may find consolation in their stellar recent record against them. Given the form they bring into this one, Auxerre will provide a harsh test for that record. Auxerre has some outstanding away performances, including last week's victory over Lyon, along with victories against Rennes and Reims.

With regads injury, Amine Harit and Pedro Ruiz continue to be listed as having long-term injuries, while Azzedine Ounahi is sidelined for the whole season due to a fractured toe. Nuno Tavares is anticipated to miss the game with a knock, and Dimitri Payet is questionable after missing last week's away game. The many injuries forced the Marseille coach to name only 7 substitutes on the bench in last week's win over Lyon. 

Marseille's possible starting lineup:

Goalkeeper: Pau Lopez; 

Defenders: Balerdi, Gigot, Kolasinac; 

Midfielders: Clauss, Rongier, Veretout, Kabore; 

Strikers: Under, Alexis, Vitinha

The team, which faces relegation, has accrued 20 points in its last 11 games while only losing once. With three teams behind them and one point ahead of them going into the weekend, that total is an impressive accomplishment for a team fighting for a Ligue 1 spot next season. 

Auxerre's season has turned around under manager Christophe Pelissier after they appeared doomed immediately after the new year following a seven-game losing skid at the beginning of his tenure at the club. The coach will be hoping to avoid an eight-match losing streak versus Marseille as a manager.

Akim Zedadka will be free to return to action for Auxerre after serving a one-match ban last weekend. Ionut Radu, Kenji-Van Boto, and Han-Noah Massengo are all still out with injuries to their thighs. Isaak Toure is now out with a suspension and the suspension has coincided with a fixture that he wasn't eligible to play in as he is on loan from Monaco. 

The potential starting lineup for Auxerre includes:

Goalkeeper: Leon

Defenders: Zedadka, Ravelosun, Jeanvier, Jubal, Mensah

Midfielders: M'Changama, B Toure

Strikers: Hein, Da Costa, Niang.

Marseille has not had tremendous success at the Velodrome, but their victory here last time out and their victory against Lyon last week may give them a lift. Marseille has won their past two games straight and has gone unbeaten in their last seven games overall. In their last three home games, they are undefeated.

However, Auxerre won't make things simple for OM and should present numerous difficulties for the home team in this match. Auxerre has won three of its past four games and has only lost once in its last 11 Ligue 1 contests. They might lose this one though because of their poor road performance this year.