Marseille vs Monaco Game Preview & Odds
Both Sides Shorthanded for Saturday’s Match
Monaco Nearing Champions League Places
Both Marseille and Monaco have a bunch of players away on international duty at the moment. They’re both trying to stay afloat in the meantime and they’ll meet on Saturday in a Ligue 1 clash. Monaco enter the weekend in fourth place and they’re only two points behind second-placed Nice. Meanwhile, Marseille are on a seven-game unbeaten run in Ligue 1 but are still just in seventh place. In our Marseille vs Monaco game preview, we’ll take a deep dive into the odds and team news.
Monaco vs. Marseille
Date, time:
Location: Stade Velodrome, Marseille, France
Streaming: Live Sports Stream
Head-to-Head
Marseille vs Monaco game previews mention that Monaco overturned a 2-1 deficit to defeat OM 3-2 back in September. Maghnes Akliouche got on the scoresheet twice in the match. Last season, Monaco managed to pick up a 1-1 draw on the road at Marseille. This fixture is even over the last five meetings on the Ligue 1 schedule. Both teams have picked up two wins and there has been one draw during that time.
Marseille Suffer Heartbreaking Loss in Coupe de France
Olympique de Marseille suffered a heartbreaking loss at Rennes in the Coupe de France round of 32 on Sunday. OM took the lead as Jordan Veretout volleyed home in the first half but Martin Terrier equalized for Rennes on a header. The match went into penalties and the first eight players who stepped up, on each side, scored. Rennes made it 17 penalties in a row converted before Marseille’s Samuel Gigot hit the crossbar with his effort.
Marseille may be out of the Coupe de France but they will participate in the Europa League knockout stage in February. Currently, Marseille are in seventh place in the Ligue 1 standings, with a 7-7-4 record. OM do appear to be rounding into form under Gennaro Gattuso, though, as they’ve lost just one of their last 11 90-minute games. They’re also on a seven-game unbeaten run in Ligue 1.
However, a bunch of Marseille players figure to miss Saturday’s match. Of OM’s regulars, Ismaila Sarr, Chancel Mbemba, Amine Harit, Iliman Ndiaye and Azzedine Ounahi are all away at the Africa Cup of Nations. Meanwhile, Gigot is out due to a suspension. Plus, Valentin Rongier is dealing with an injury.
Ben Yedder Scores Hat Trick for Monaco
Unlike Marseille, Monaco progressed into the Coupe de France round of 16. On Saturday, Wissam Ben Yedder scored a hat trick for the Monegasques in a 3-1 win over Rodez. Along with their cup triumph, Monaco are in quite a solid position in Ligue 1. They’re in fourth place and should be competing for a Champions League spot. The Ligue 1 odds currently price them at -225 to make the top four.
Ben Yedder is by far Monaco’s top scorer this season, with 13 goals in all competitions. Fellow striker Folarin Balogun is in the middle of a goal drought. The USA international hasn’t found the net since late November. While only PSG have scored more goals than Monaco this season, bettors should also note that Monaco have conceded the most goals of any top half team.
Monaco also have a bunch of players away at international tournaments. All of Wilfried Singo, Takumi Minamino, Ismail Jakobs, Krepin Diatta, Mohamed Camara and Mohamed Salisu are with their national teams at the moment. Meanwhile, Eliesse Ben Seghir, Caio Henrique and Breel Embolo are all out injured.
Match Analysis & Odds
Our Marseille vs Monaco game preview notes that Marseille are +130 favorites for Saturday’s match. They are unbeaten this season in 13 matches at the Stade Velodrome, in all competitions. Given that information, bettors may want to consider taking Marseille pk at -130 odds. Still, Monaco show +190 odds to win Saturday’s match which corresponds to a 34.5 percent implied chance of victory.
Monaco pk also sits at even odds and they carry a 4-3-2 road record in Ligue 1 into this match. Both sides have players away on international duty and anything could happen in this one, including a draw. Bettors can take a draw at +265 odds in this one but just two of the last 10 Ligue 1 meetings have finished all square.
Marseille’s matches have been quite low scoring this season. Their Ligue 1 games have averaged just 2.5 goals and here under 2.5, 3 goals display -115 odds. Notably, Monaco have scored twice in four of their last six Ligue 1 games and Ben Yedder has scored in his last four matches overall.
