Overview
Marseille started the 2026-2027 Ligue 1 season with Bruno Genesio on the coaching bench. The French coach has achieved good results in the league as his teams have regularly won tickets to European cups in the past 10 years.
Marseille finished last season 3 places lower and earned 6 points less than the 2024-2025 season. However, home ground Stade Valodrome is still an important fulcrum. Marseille is unbeaten in the last 5 Ligue 1 opening matches at home and won 2 in 3 home matches at the end of last season.
Last season, Marseille possessed an effective attack with 63 goals, ranked third in Ligue 1 and only had one home match without scoring. If they maintain attacking pressure and the ability to control the midfield area, Marseille could make the Strasbourg defense face many difficulties.
On the other side, Strasbourg will have their first match in Ligue 1 under the guidance of coach Hugo Oliveira. This team aims to return to the European arena after last season, when domestic performance has declined significantly compared to the 2024-2025 season.
Strasbourg is on a 6-match unbeaten streak away from home in Ligue 1. They won 3 out of 4 away games at the end of last season, but their away performance averaged only 1.35 points per game.
Strasbourg's defense system still reveals many problems. Against opponents who press well and rotate the ball quickly, they often have difficulty controlling the midfield, while also revealing gaps on both wings. This may be a weakness for Marseille to exploit when playing at home.
Notably, Strasbourg is unbeaten in their last 4 away games at Stade Velodrome. However, they have not beaten Marseille at this stadium in Ligue 1 since 1997, when they won 1-0.
Personnel situation
Marseille may be without Faris Moumbagna and Egan-Riley due to muscle injuries, while Nayef Aguerd is uncertain to play due to a groin problem.
Igor Paixao is a noteworthy name in the attack when scoring in all 4 recent friendly matches, including a goal against Atletico Madrid. He is expected to play an important role after Mason Greenwood left the team.
Strasbourg will not have Joaquin Panichelli due to a cruciate ligament injury. Abakar Sylla and Soumaila Coulibaly also leave open the possibility of playing due to a problem in their calves.
Gessime Yassine just scored in a friendly match with Newcastle, while Giovanni Reyna is competing for a starting spot after joining Strasbourg from Borussia Monchengladbach.
Expected lineup:
De Lange, Weah, Balerdi, Cornelius, Palmieri, Nnadi, Hojbjerg, Gomes, Gouiri, Paixao, Maupay.
Jorgensen, Doue, Omobamidele, Doukoure, Chilwell, Oyedele, El Mourabet, Reyna, Nanasi, Godo, Mara.
The match between Marseille and Strasbourg takes place at 1:45 am on August 22 (Vietnam time).
