Marseille vs Reims Prediction: 25/8/2024

Last season, Olympique de Marseille turned the Vélodrome into a stronghold, suffering just one defeat at home across all competitions. After beginning the new season with an away match at Brest, Marseille is gearing up to host Reims for their first home game.

Under the guidance of De Zerbi, the team is looking to start strong in front of their supporters, following a previous season marked by mixed results. Although OM reached the semi-finals of the Europa League, where they were eliminated by Atalanta, their 8th place finish in Ligue 1 was disappointing. With no European competition this season, Marseille has the opportunity to focus solely on the domestic league, a challenge they are keen to embrace.

Their summer preparations were promising, highlighted by a 3-1 win over Augsburg. In their Ligue 1 opener against Brest, De Zerbi’s new signings impressed, leading OM to a 5-1 victory and putting them at the top of the standings ahead of this second match.

Stade de Reims enters the new season with several significant changes, including the arrival of a new coach, Luka Elsner, who replaces Will Still following his unexpected departure. Elsner aims to build on or even improve the team’s performance, which started strong last season but eventually finished in 9th place.

Reims had a mixed preseason, starting with a 2-0 win against Fleury-Mérogis but struggling during their tour of Japan, where they managed a draw against Jubilo Iwata, suffered heavy defeats to Shimizu S-Pulse and Kobe, and secured a win against Machida. Reims concluded their preseason with a draw and a win against Auxerre. Despite this uneven preparation, Reims began the season with a 0-2 loss to Lille, a match marred by an early red card for one of their players.

Marseille enters this season with a largely revamped squad. The defense has been bolstered by the additions of Achraf Dari from Brest, returning after suspension, and Bamo Meïté from Lorient. In midfield, Danish international Pierre-Emile Højbjerg brings his experience following his transfer from Tottenham. In attack, Mason Greenwood, on loan from Manchester United, made an immediate impact with two goals in the win against Brest, despite the controversy surrounding his arrival.

To address ongoing issues in goal, OM signed De Lange from Go Ahead Eagles and Gerónimo Rulli from Ajax, the latter already proving his worth by saving a penalty in the last match. The club also signed Cornelius from Molde to strengthen the defense after the departures of key players like Samuel Gigot and Chancel Mbemba.

Other departures include Pape Gueye to Villarreal, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Saudi Arabia, Jonathan Clauss to Nice, and Ismaïla Sarr to Crystal Palace. Returning from loan, Pol Lirola (from Fiorentina) and Mughe (from Dunkirk) add depth to the squad, which is still finding its cohesion. However, new signings Carboni and Koné, who missed the first match due to injuries, might also be unavailable against Reims. On a positive note, Valentin Rongier has returned after a long absence, providing additional stability in midfield.

Elye Wahi, a recent acquisition by Marseille, quickly made headlines by scoring his first goal for the club in the victory against Brest. Meanwhile, Reims has undergone significant changes, including the departure of their long-time captain Yunis Abdelhamid to Saint-Etienne.

The club also saw defender Diakité (to Cercle Bruges) and midfielder Stambouli (released) leave. On the other hand, young midfielder Adeline (returning from loan at Annecy) and striker Salama (on loan to Caen) aim to make their mark this season. Reims has strengthened its defense with the signing of central defender Kipré, who joined on a free transfer from West Bromwich Albion.

The starting lineup is expected to include key players like Maltese international Teuma (6 goals, 3 assists), Munetsi (4 goals, 3 assists), and Japanese duo Nakamura (4 goals) and Ito (3 goals, 7 assists), along with striker Diakité (5 goals). However, Amadou Koné will miss the match against Marseille after receiving a red card in the clash against Lille.

 

Prediction

Reims, having won just one of their last five games, have since lost eight of their next ten Ligue 1 matches. In contrast, Marseille has won 13 of their last 20 home games at this level, and they will be confident of securing a victory against the struggling Reims.

Prediction: Marseille 2 : 0 Reims