Our next opponents: Marseille on the up, but still struggling in the Europa League

Position

Olympique Marseille currently sit sixth in the Ligue 1 table on 15 points. Things looked very different after matchday 5, when OM were next to bottom. Then, following four consecutive defeats, a 2–0 win at Troyes marked a turning point. That was followed by victories against Angers and Le Havre. In their most recent 2–0 win at Toulouse, the attacking duo of Amine Harit and Amine Gouiri both scored in the first half. After the match, coach Bruno Genesio expressed his satisfaction with the result and his team’s performance. “We pressed well, particularly in the first half, and played consistently going forward. In the second half we sat back a little, but our commitment and attitude remained strong.” Despite the short winning streak in the league, the 60-year-old – who took over from Habib Beye in July this year – said the team must remain humble. Previously, Genesio managed FC Stade Rennes and, most recently, Lille. At Rennes, his players included Bayer 04 players Loic Badé and Martin Terrier. 

Thanks to this resurgence, Marseille have closed the gap to just two points behind the Champions League places. In the Europa League, however, the club sit 34th in the group stage after three games, with zero points and a goal difference of 1 to 6. They started with a 4-1 defeat away to Besiktas, followed by two 1-0 losses against Olympiacos and Sturm Graz. The southern French side only secured their place in the competition on the final matchday of last season with a 3–1 win over their direct rivals, Stade Rennes.

Personnel

In front of goalkeeper Jeffrey de Lange, who came through the Ajax youth system, Genesio is relying on a wealth of experience in his back four. Captain Timothy Weah (26) is a regular at right-back. The American has made 53 international appearances and is a team-mate of Bayer 04’s Malik Tillman in the USA team. Weah has already won the French league title three times (twice with Paris Saint-Germain, once with Lille) and he lifted the Coppa Italia with Juventus.

On the left flank, the experienced Emerson – EURO 2021 winner with Italy – is in defence. However, the 32-year-old had to be substituted on 17 minutes last Sunday due to knee problems. It is doubtful whether he will be fit to play at Leverkusen. In central defence this season, Morocco international Nayef Aguerd (30) and England U21 international CJ Egan-Riley have often been the first-choice pairing. Both featured several times last season alongside Werkself player Facundo Medina at the centre of the Marseille defence.

The two midfielders Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg (31) and Amine Harit (29) are well known from the Bundesliga. Höjbjerg, captain of Denmark with 101 international caps to date, played for Bayern Munich, FC Augsburg and Schalke 04. Harit also played for the latter for several years. Alongside the pair, Angel Gomes and creative midfielder Himad Abdelli are among the regulars in midfield. Up front, Marseille have had to cope with the departure of their two top goalscorers from last season. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (10 goals) and Mason Greenwood (16) moved to Deportivo La Coruna and Fenerbahçe respectively in the summer. Centre-forward Amine Gouiri is currently OM’s top scorer. Ibrahim Maza’s Algeria team-mate has scored six goals in Ligue 1 so far and provided three assists.

Problems

Marseille repeatedly run into problems when the opposition press high. That was most recently the case in the Europa League in the 1-0 defeat at Sturm Graz. Under pressure, Marseille made a number of errors in their build-up play. One of these led to the decisive goal conceded early on. The team also struggled defensively in their 4–3 win against Le Havre in Ligue 1: OM were leading 4–0 but still had to hold their nerve to secure the victory in the end. In Ligue 1, Marseille have already conceded 13 goals in nine matches. In the Europa League, they have conceded six goals in three games to date.​​​

Performers

Despite the departures of Aubameyang and Greenwood, the Marseille attack remains strong. After league leaders Paris Saint-Germain (21), Marseille (20) are currently joint second with Stade Rennes for the most goals scored in Ligue 1. Alongside Harit and Gouiri, the Brazilian Igor Paixao is also a strong dribbler and finisher in attack. Two years ago, the left-winger – then still playing for Feyenoord – faced the Werkself in the Champions League, a match which the Werkself won 4–0. Although Marseille currently sit third from bottom in the Europa League group stage, they are among the strongest-performing teams in the competition. In terms of possession, only Bayer 04 (58 per cent), Real Sociedad and AZ Alkmaar (both 57.3 per cent) have better figures than OM (56.7 per cent). Marseille are also among the top eight for completed passes, with 87.3 per cent. Now these impressive stats need to be backed up by results. “We’ll be travelling to Leverkusen to put in the best possible performance and get a result,” said Genesio ahead of the match at the BayArena.