Marseille vs Lyon: A crucial three points at stake in upcoming derby clash

Topics: TV Schedules, Olympique Marseille, Olympique Lyonnais, Ligue 1

Lyon will hope to close the gap on league leaders Lille when they take on Marseille in the latest installment of the Choc des Olympiques on Sunday, February 28th.

Preview: Marseille vs Lyon

Both Marseille and Lyon will naturally be gunning for all three points when they meet in the latest edition of the Choc des Olympiques on Sunday. The hosts, who presently sit in seventh spot, have won just one of their last five Ligue 1 games and twice since the start of 2021. Moreover, they are now under the leadership of their third coach this season following Andre Villas-Boas's abrupt departure.

Former Chile and Argentinia national team coach Jorge Sampaoli has been tasked with trying to help L'OM turn their fortunes around, and he will certainly face a baptism by fire as his first match will see his team welcoming Lyon. Following that, it's another touch test as Marseille will face league leaders Lyon, so it goes without saying that Sampaoli won't have much of a settling-in period with two of the most difficult matches Marseille will be featuring in this season.

Visitors Lyon, meanwhile, continue to have an outstanding season and come into this match with just one loss from their last five Ligue 1 games. Their recent 2-1 loss to Montpellier snapped a four match winning streak for Rudi Garcia's men, but they recovered with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Brest to stay hot on the heels of Lille, who have also been enjoying one of their most successful domestic campaigns in years.

Lyon have also enjoyed a recent spell of good fortune against Marseille, with just one loss in their last 14 meetings across all comps. Key to their success this season has also been their impressive away form, as they've won seven of their last eight fixtures, and they will arrive at the Velodrome with pretty much a clean bill of health. Although they've hit a slightly rocky patch - they had to really battle for that win against Brest - Garcia's side are nonetheless still going mostly strong and should be able to get edge over their rivals on Sunday.

Match facts: Marseille vs Lyon

This will be the 104th competitive meeting between Marseille and Lyon
Interestingly, both sides have scored 176 goals over the course of this historic rivalry
Lyon, however, hold the slight advantage in terms of wins (40) over Marseille (36)
In addition, Lyon are undefeated in 13 of their last 14 matches against Marseille in all competitions
And Les Gones have won seven of their last eight away Ligue 1 games