The Matchday 2 clash in Ligue 1 between Marseille and Paris will take place on August 23 at the Velodrome Stadium. Marseille vs. Paris: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Marseille
Marseille kicked off the new Ligue 1 season with a defeat, losing 0-1 away to Rennes. This setback ended the team's five-match unbeaten run in the French championship (4 wins, 1 draw) and their goal-scoring streak in this tournament, which also spanned five matches. Notably, the last time Marseille started a Ligue 1 campaign with a loss was in the 2019/20 season, where they finished second in the standings. It's worth mentioning that Marseille ranked only seventh among the best home teams in last season's French championship, yet they avoided defeat in 14 out of 17 matches (10 wins, 4 draws).
- Both teams scored in 8 of Marseille's last 10 Ligue 1 matches.
- At least 3 goals were scored in 8 of the team's last 10 games in this tournament.
- Marseille won 7 of their last 8 home matches in the championship (1 loss).
Predicted lineup for Marseille (4-5-1)
Geronimo Rulli – CJ Egan-Riley, Leonardo Balerdi, Geoffrey Kondogbia, Amir Murillo – Angel Gomes, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Mason Greenwood, Adrien Rabiot, Jonathan Rowe – Amine Gouiri.
Paris
The capital club also suffered a 0-1 defeat in their first match after returning to the elite French division, losing to Angers. Recall that Paris ended last season with a seven-match unbeaten run in Ligue 2 (5 wins, 2 draws). Similarly to Marseille, their scoring streak, which spanned 7 matches in the second-tier French division, was also halted. Additionally, Paris ranked second among the best away teams in last season's Ligue 2, avoiding defeat in 12 out of 17 matches (8 wins, 4 draws).
- No more than 2 goals were scored in 5 of the club's last 7 matches in the second-tier French championship.
- Paris did not win in 7 of their last 10 away matches in Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 (2 draws, 5 losses).
- Paris conceded goals in 7 consecutive away matches in the first and second-tier French leagues.
Predicted lineup for Paris (4-4-2)
Obe Nkambadio – Samir Chergui, Moustapha Mbow, Timothee Kolodziejczak, Noah Sanjui – Loan Doucet, Ilan Kebbal, Julien Lopez, Moses Simon – Jean-Philippe Krasso, Pierre-Yves Hamel.
The team has been bolstered by the addition of goalkeeper Kevin Trapp from Eintracht.
Referee
Mark Bollinger (France)
Matches – 18 (Ligue 1, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 95;
Average yellow cards per match – 3.3;
Red cards shown – 6;
Average fouls per match – 26;
Penalties – 28%.
Match Prediction for Marseille vs. Paris
Both teams lost their opening matches with the same score of 0-1. Marseille managed to lose to Rennes despite playing with a numerical advantage for nearly two-thirds of the match. Furthermore, after this match, a conflict arose in the Marseille dressing room between Adrien Rabiot and Jonathan Rowe, resulting in the team management placing both players on the transfer list, and they have been suspended from training. Paris, on the other hand, undeservedly lost to Angers, despite having the upper hand during the match.
After setbacks at the start of the championship, both teams will be eager to bounce back, and I expect the game to be open. The statistics also indicate that matches involving both clubs tend to be high-scoring. Last season in Ligue 1, matches involving Marseille averaged 3.6 goals, while in Paris's previous Ligue 2 campaign, the average number of goals per game was 2.6. Moreover, Marseille is highly productive in home Ligue 1 matches, scoring at least three times in 6 of their last 8 games, while conceding in all 8 games during this stretch.
I believe they will not be able to keep a clean sheet this time either, as Paris possesses excellent scoring potential with strong attackers. I anticipate a high-scoring match where both teams will find the net, so my prediction is Total over 2.5 and Both Teams to Score – Yes.
