Marseille seek their first win under new boss Gennaro Gattuso when they welcome Le Havre to Stade Velodrome in round eight of Ligue 1 action on Sunday.
Les Olympiens are in the division's bottom half, and they could overtake the away side with a win on home turf this weekend.
Match preview
Marseille need a sea change to retain European participation next season, with recent results underscoring a downturn in form.
That led to Marcelino's resignation in late September, but Gattuso's arrival has barely transformed results overnight — the Olympians are yet to win under the Italian.
Thursday night saw the former AC Milan and Napoli boss almost record a victory in the Europa League, but Brighton & Hove Albion fought back from two goals down to draw 2-2.
Gattuso's troops twice led against Monaco in round seven (1-0 and 2-1) only to surrender both advantages to lose 3-2, demonstrating the side's soft underbelly.
Marseille are showing the team's scoring potential under the new regime but need the required defensive sturdiness to protect leads if the corner must be turned.
As for new boys Le Havre, promotion after 14 years away from Ligue 1 has gone satisfactorily after seven games, with only two defeats suffered by Luka Elsner's men.
The second of those defeats came last weekend — a 2-0 home defeat by Lille — which ended a four-game undefeated run for the Dean Club.
Le Havre's two victories in Ligue 1 this season have been at Stade Oceane, but they are yet to taste defeat on their travels, playing out three consecutive draws.
That statistic theoretically gives Elsner much-needed assuredness in his side's prospects, especially as the home side have a seemingly soft underbelly under Gattuso and played in Europe this week.
Whether that leads to Le Havre's first-ever success over Marseille remains to be seen, but securing at least a point to end a six-game losing run in all competitions at the Olympiens is feasible.
Team News
Papa Gueye and Renan Lodi are suspended for Sunday's game, meaning Amir Murillo or Leonardo Balerdi could start at left-back.
Geoffrey Kondogbia's groin injury is expected to rule him out against the Ligue 1 new boys.
For the away side, Arouna Sangante's knee issue could keep the midfielder out until November, while Alois Confais (knee), Antoine Joujou (ankle) and Oussama Targhalline (muscle) should return after the international break.
Le Havre are expected to line up in a 4-2-3-1 at the Velodrome on Sunday, with Mohamed Bayo leading the line after missing out against parent club Lille in round seven.
Marseille possible starting lineup:
Lopez; Clauss, Mbemba, Gigot, Balerdi; Rongier, Veretout, Ounahi; Harit, Aubameyang, Correa
Le Havre possible starting lineup:
Desmas; Salmier, Youte, Lloris, Operi; Toure, Ndiaye; Casimir, Kuzyaev, Alioui; Bayo
We say: Marseille 2-1 Le Havre
Marseille could be third-time lucky under Gattuso this weekend, with their wont for scoring under the Italian expected to get them over the line against Le Havre.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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