The Matchday 25 clash in Ligue 1 between Marseille and Lens will take place on March 8 at the Velodrome Stadium. Marseille vs. Lens: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Marseille
The club secured a 2-0 home victory over Nantes in the last round, marking their 15th win of the current championship (only PSG has more with 19). Roberto De Zerbi's side occupies 2nd place in the league standings, but the gap with the Parisians is quite significant at 13 points. Meanwhile, their lead over the nearest pursuer is just 2 points.
- The team has scored in 6 of the last 8 head-to-head encounters in the championship.
- Marseille is unbeaten in their last 7 home matches in Ligue 1 (5 wins, 2 draws).
- In 5 of their last 7 home games in the championship, the club has scored at least 2 goals.
Predicted lineup for Marseille (3-4-2-1)
Geronimo Rulli – Geoffrey Kondogbia, Leonardo Balerdi, Amir Murillo – Quentin Merlin, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Ismael Bennacer, Luis Henrique – Adrien Rabiot, Mason Greenwood – Amine Gouiri.
Lens
The team suffered a 3-4 home defeat to Le Havre in the previous round. This marked their fourth consecutive loss in Ligue 1, although prior to this, Lens had secured two clean-sheet victories in the championship. Ahead of Matchday 25, William Still's side is in 9th place, trailing the European competition spots by 6 points.
- Lens has conceded at least 2 goals in 5 of their last 7 championship matches.
- The team has scored in 6 previous head-to-head away encounters in Ligue 1.
Predicted lineup for Lens (5-3-2)
Mathew Ryan – Ruben Aguilar, Malang Sarr, Jonathan Gradit, Facundo Medina, Deiver Machado – Neil El Aynaoui, Anass Zaroury, Adrien Thomasson – Florian Sotoca, Wesley Saïd.
Defender Facundo Medina, midfielders Adrien Thomasson and Angelo Fulgini are suspended.
Referee
Thomas Leonard (France)
Matches – 13 (Ligue 1, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 45;
Average yellow cards per match – 3.5;
Red cards shown – 2;
Average fouls per match – 25;
Penalties – 23%.
Match Prediction: Marseille vs. Lens
Marseille is second only to PSG in terms of scoring in the current championship. At home, the club consistently finds the back of the net – Marseille has scored in their last 8 Ligue 1 home matches. However, the team's defense is not always perfect – in 9 of their last 10 home encounters in the championship, Marseille has conceded. As a result, both teams have scored in 7 of the last 8 games at the Velodrome in Ligue 1.
Lens, despite being a mid-table side, regularly breaks through opponents' defenses. The team has scored in 18 of their last 20 away matches in the championship. However, it should also be noted that the club faces challenges in defense. This is evident as Lens has conceded at least one goal in 8 of their last 11 away matches in Ligue 1.
I believe these teams will deliver a high-scoring encounter, so my prediction: Both teams to score – yes
