Marseille vs Brest prediction, Tips & Stats

Marseille will be looking to keep their hopes of a top-two finish alive when they host Brest at the Stade Velodrome in Saturday’s evening Ligue 1 fixture.

With just two games to go, OM will be after a win that is needed if they are to take it to the wire in the race for the runners-up position in Ligue 1. Marseille have sealed a Champions League play-off spot and are currently five points behind RC Lens in third, but with only the top two in the French top flight guaranteed of a place in next year’s Champions League group stages, Igor Tudor’s side will be after a win whilst hoping that Lens can slip up in their match against Ajaccio that would close the gap so there’s a possibility heading into the final game.

Stade Brestois have secured their Ligue 1 status with plenty of games to spare. Les Pirates are 14th with two games left, eight points clear of the bottom four.

The hosts go into Saturday’s penultimate game eager to return to winning ways after a poor run that has seen them lost two of their last three games. After losing 2-1 away to Lens in a hugely pivotal battle at the top, Marseille replied with a 3-1 home win over rock-bottom Angers side that are on the way down. Last weekend Tudor’s side were defeated away to fifth-place Lille, despite taking the lead. Jonathan Clauss put the away side ahead in the 29th minute before a Jonathan David penalty early in the second half put the hosts level. Jonathan Bamba completed the comeback in the 72nd minute, securing a 2-1 win for Lille.

Brest travel to the Stade Velodrome in a fine run of form as they close the season out, winning three of their last four fixtures. Eric Roy’s side beat a struggling Nantes 2-0, before losing 2-1 away to Lorient. It’s been back-to-back wins for Brest recently though, with a 1-0 win over Auxerre being followed up with the 2-1 victory over Clermont Foot last Sunday. Neto Borges put Clermont in front in the 43rd minute, but Brest replied instantly through Franck Honorat just two minutes later. The winning goal came just three minutes into the second half, with former Huddersfield striker Steve Mounie slotting home the Brest’s second goal which sealed the three points.

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Attacking midfielder Amine Harit remains out for Marseille as he recovers from a Cruciate Ligament injury that has kept him out since November. Moroccan midfielder Azzedine Ounahi is also out for the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery on a toe injury.

Centre-back Samuel Gigot will be a doubt for Marseille after his match against Lille was cut short early in the first half. Gigot will follow the concussion protocol of the LFP and will face a test before being sure he can play against Brest.

Former West Ham midfielder Dimitri Payet has potentially played his last professional game. The 36-year-old is suspended for the rest of the season after slapping the RC Lens assistant manager in their heated battle for second spot. With the result of the ban being decided, Payet scored in his last appearance in the 3-1 win over Angers two weeks ago. The ex-Hammer has a contract with Marseille until 2024 but has hinted that he could retire at the end of the current season.

Alexis Sanchez will lead the line again for Marseille. The former Arsenal and Manchester United attacker has been the key threat up front for Tudor’s side this season, with 14 Ligue 1 goals to his name. The 34-year-old will likely be the spearhead again in the trusted 3-4-2-1 system, with Ruslan Malinovskyi and Cenzig Under set to play behind him in the three-pronged attack.

Right-back Noah Fadiga remains a long-term absentee for Brest as the 23-year-old recovers from a hip injury. Former Chelsea striker Loic Remy is still yet to make his Brest debut, and that remains an unlikely possibility before the end of the season, with the 36-year-old still out injured.

Defensive midfielder Pierre Lees-Melou, who arrived from Norwich for €2.3million last summer, was a key man in the middle of the pitch for Brest against Clermont Foot last weekend. The 29-year-old recorded two assists, setting up both goals in the win last time out and will look to spark more attacks from the deep DM role in Roy’s 4-3-2-1 system.

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