Marseille travel north to the Alsace region of France to take on Strasbourg in round 10 of the 2020-21 Ligue 1 season.
Strasbourg are knee-deep in the relegation mire, with just six points from nine games leaving them 19th in the table. L'OM are six points behind league leaders PSG in fifth, although they have a game in hand.
Strasbourg followed their 3-0 win over Brest with yet another loss at home, going down 2-1 to fellow strugglers Reims.
All goals came in an eight-minute spell - a Mathieu Cafaro free kick resulted in the ball bouncing off of Racing keeper Bingourou Kamara and into the net, with Wout Faes making it 2-0 from a corner moments later.
Ludovic Ajorque made it 2-1 in the 30th minute from the spot, but try as they could, Strasbourg could not overturn the deficit.
Marseille saw their game against Lens postponed due to a coronavirus outbreak in the opposition camp, which meant consecutive UEFA Champions League games for them after the 3-0 defeat to Manchester City.
Porto also made short work of their French opponents, defeating Marseille 3-0, with Dimitri Payet blazing a penalty over when the score was 0-1.
Strasbourg vs Marseille Head-to-Head
Of the last seven games between the two sides, Marseille have had the upper hand, winning four games and drawing twice, with Strasbourg winning once - a 5-3 win at the Stade Velodrome in the Coupe de la Ligue.
The teams last met in the Coupe de France pre-quarterfinals, with Marseille winning 3-1 at home. The last time the two met at the Stade de la Meinau though, Strasbourg pulled off a 1-1 draw.
Strasbourg form guide: L-W-L-W-L
Marseille form guide: W-L-W-L-L
Strasbourg vs Marseille Team News
Strasbourg
Strasbourg boss Thierry Laurey tested positive for coronavirus at the beginning of November, so Jean-Marc Kuentz takes his place on the touchline. Midfielder Jean-Eudes Aholou also tested positive, and will miss this game.
Centre-forward Majeed Waris is a doubt for the game, while Matz Sels and Lebo Mothiba continue their rehab from long-term injuries. The home side is expected to stick with the lineup that defeated Brest, with Sanjin Prcic replacing Aholou in midfield.
Injuries: Matz Sels, Lebo Mothiba
Covid-19: Jean-Eudes Aholou
Doubtful: Majeed Waris
Suspensions: None
Marseille
Marseille have a fully-fit squad to choose from, and since the game against Lens was postponed, Hiroki Sakai and Alvaro Gonzalez will have to serve the final game of their suspension in this fixture.
Yotu Nagatomo and Leonardo Balerdi should replace the pair in the lineup, which ought to have a few changes after the midweek game.
Injuries: None
Doubtful: None
Suspensions: Hiroki Sakai, Alvaro Gonzalez
Strasbourg vs Marseille Predicted Lineups
Strasbourg predicted XI (3-5-2): Bingourou Kamara (GK); Mohamed Simakan, Stefan Mitrovic, Alexander Djiku; Kenny Lala, Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, Sanjin Prcic, Ibrahima Sissoko, Anthony Caci; Habibou Mouhamadou Diallo, Ludovic Ajorque
Marseille Predicted XI (4-3-2-1): Steve Mandanda (GK); Yuto Nagatomo, Duje Caleta-Carr, Leonardo Balerdi, Jordan Amavi; Papa Gueye, Kevin Strootman, Valentin Rongier; Michael Cuisance, Florian Thauvin; Dario Benedetto
Strasbourg vs Marseille Prediction
Despite their terrible defeats in the UEFA Champions League, Marseille should be strong enough to defeat Strasbourg with ease, especially given their terrible home record this season.
Dario Benedetto should make merry alongside Florian Thauvin, with Payet an option off the bench as well.
Expect an easy win for the away side on Friday.
Prediction: Strasbourg 0-3 Marseille