The Matchday 2 clash in Ligue 1 between Marseille and Paris will take place on August 23 at the Velodrome Stadium. Marseille vs. Paris: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Marseille
Marseille began the new Ligue 1 season with a 0-1 away defeat to Rennes. This setback ended the team's five-match unbeaten run in the French championship (4 wins, 1 draw), as well as their goal-scoring streak, which also lasted five matches. Notably, the last time Marseille started Ligue 1 with a defeat was in the 2019/20 season, where they finished second in the league table. It's worth mentioning that Marseille ranked only seventh in the list of best home clubs in last season's French championship, but they avoided defeat in 14 out of 17 matches (10 wins, 4 draws).
- Both teams scored in 8 of Marseille's last 10 Ligue 1 matches.
- At least 3 goals were scored in 8 of the team's last 10 matches in this tournament.
- Marseille won 7 of their last 8 home matches in the championship (1 loss).
Predicted lineup for Marseille (4-5-1)
Jerónimo Rulli – CJ Egan-Riley, Leonardo Balerdi, Geoffrey Kondogbia, Amir Murillo – Angel Gomes, Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, Mason Greenwood, Adrien Rabiot, Jonathan Rowe – Amine Gouiri.
Midfielder Adrien Rabiot and forward Jonathan Rowe have been suspended from the main squad and are listed for transfer.
Paris
The capital club also suffered a 0-1 defeat in their first match after returning to the elite French division, losing to Angers. It should be noted that Paris ended last season with a seven-match unbeaten run in Ligue 2 (5 wins, 2 draws). Similarly to Marseille, their goal-scoring streak, which lasted seven matches in the second tier of French football, was interrupted. Additionally, Paris was the second-best away team in last season's Ligue 2, avoiding defeat in 12 out of 17 matches (8 wins, 4 draws).
- No more than 2 goals were scored in 5 of the club's last 7 matches in the second tier of French football.
- Paris failed to win in 7 of their last 10 away matches in Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 (2 draws, 5 losses).
- Paris have conceded in 7 consecutive away matches in the first and second tiers of French football.
Predicted lineup for Paris (4-4-2)
Obe Nkambadio – Samir Chergui, Moustapha Mbow, Timothée Kolodziejczak, Noah Sanjui – Loan Doucet, Ilan Kebbal, Julien Lopez, Moses Simon – Jean-Philippe Krasso, Pierre-Yves Hamel.
The team has been reinforced by goalkeeper Kevin Trapp, who moved from Eintracht.
Referee
Marc Bollinger (France)
Matches – 18 (Ligue 1, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 95;
Average yellow cards per match – 3.3;
Red cards shown – 6;
Average fouls per match – 26;
Penalties – 28%.
Match Prediction: Marseille vs. Paris
Both teams lost their opening matches with the same scoreline of 0-1. Marseille, however, managed to lose to Rennes despite playing with a numerical advantage for nearly two-thirds of the match. Furthermore, after this game, a conflict erupted in the Marseille dressing room between Adrien Rabiot and Jonathan Rowe, resulting in both players being listed for transfer and suspended from training. Paris, on the other hand, undeservedly lost to Angers, having had the upper hand during the match.
After setbacks at the start of the championship, both teams will be eager to redeem themselves, and I expect the game to be open. The statistics also indicate that matches involving both clubs tend to be high-scoring. Last season in Ligue 1, Marseille's matches averaged 3.6 goals, while in Paris's matches in the previous Ligue 2 season, the average number of goals per game was 2.6. Additionally, Marseille is highly productive in home matches in Ligue 1, scoring at least three times in 6 of their last 8 games, while conceding in all 8 matches during this period.
I believe that they will not manage to keep a clean sheet this time either, as Paris possesses excellent attacking potential with strong players in the forward line. I expect the match to be high-scoring with both teams finding the net, so my prediction is Over 2.5 goals and Both Teams to Score – Yes.
