Round 21 of the French Ligue 1 gets underway on Friday when Olympique Marseille and Metz square off at the Orange Velodrome.
With their Europa League knockout-stage clash with Shakhtar Donetsk on the horizon, Gennaro Gattuso’s men will look to pick up a morale-boosting result and end their winless streak.
Marseille’s tough run of results in the new year continued last Sunday when they fell to a narrow 1-0 loss against Olympique Lyon at the Groupama Stadium.
Gattuso’s side have now failed to win their last four matches across all competitions, losing twice and picking up two draws since a 1-0 cup victory over Thionville Lusitanos in their first outing of the year.
With 29 points from 20 matches, Marseille are currently eighth in the Ligue 1 table, just three points behind the UEFA Europa Conference League qualification spot.
Metz, on the other hand, suffered a fresh blow in their battle for survival as they suffered a 2-1 loss against Lorient last weekend.
Laszlo Boloni’s men have now lost seven league games on the spin, conceding 11 goals and scoring just twice since picking up consecutive wins over Nantes and Lorient back in November.
With 16 points from 20 matches, Metz are currently 16th in the league standings, just one point above rock-bottom Clermont Foot and three points away from safety.
Olympique Marseille vs Metz Head-To-Head and Key Numbers
- With 14 wins from the last 26 meetings between the sides, Marseille boast a superior record in the history of this fixture.
- Metz have picked up five wins in that time, while the spoils have been shared on seven occasions.
- Marseille are unbeaten in their last eight games against Boloni’s men, claiming three wins and five draws since a 1-0 loss in February 2017.
- Metz are on a run of three consecutive away defeats and won just one of their last seven games on the road, losing five and claiming one draw since October.
- Marseille are unbeaten in their last 12 home games across all competitions, claiming seven wins and five draws since a 2-1 loss to Panathinaikos back in August.
Olympique Marseille vs Metz Prediction
While Marseille have struggled to get going of late, they will be backing themselves against a Metz side who have lost their last seven league matches.
Given the gulf in quality and experience between the two sides, we fancy Gattuso’s men claiming all three points.
Prediction: Olympique Marseille 3-1 Metz
Olympique Marseille vs Metz Betting Tips
Tip 1: Marseille to win
Tip 2: Both sides to score – Yes (Both sides have scored in six of their last seven clashes)
Tip 3: Over 10.5 corners – Yes (There have also been at least 11 corner kicks in four of the last five meetings between the two teams)
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