Marseille will be looking to bounce back from their Champions League defeat to Manchester City when they welcome a coronavirus-hit Lens to the Orange Velodrome on Friday evening.
However, whether or not the game will go ahead remains to be seen following the news that 11 players and seven staff members in the Lens camp tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday.
Match preview
A clash with a Manchester City side dreaming of a first-ever European crown was never going to be easy for Marseille, but the Ligue 1 outfit certainly made City's task a lot easier than it should have been as individual mistakes cost Andre Villas-Boas's men dearly at the Orange Velodrome.
Without a recognised striker, Pep Guardiola's men cruised to a 3-0 victory thanks to goals from Ferran Torres, Ilkay Gundogan and Raheem Sterling, with Marseille still yet to get off the mark in this season's Champions League following defeat to Olympiacos last week.
Despite their European woes, Les Olympiens have started to see their results improve domestically after a drab run of stalemates, with Marseille looking to win their third top-flight game in succession following hard-fought victories over Bordeaux and Lorient over the last couple of weeks.
However, Villas-Boas's men did not dominate Lorient by any means last weekend as Leonardo Balerdi popped up with the winner in the second half, but should Friday's game be given the green light to go ahead, Marseille will certainly feel confident of notching up a few goals against a decimated Lens side whose preparations for this game have been significantly hampered.
Lens have been the surprise package of the 2020-21 Ligue 1 season and currently sit seventh after a remarkable start to proceedings, but last season's Ligue 2 runners-up may not get the chance to prove their worth against Marseille owing to a recent coronavirus outbreak.
Franck Haise's men saw their proposed clash with Nantes last week called off due to COVID-19, and further tests on Monday revealed that 11 players and seven staff members were still found to be carrying the virus - leaving Friday's clash shrouded in uncertainty.
However, the league have not officially postponed the match and Lens have completed their pre-match media duties as normal, so there is a slight sense of optimism that Sang et Or may still be able to make the trip to the Orange Velodrome for Friday's taxing showdown, although Haise's side will no doubt be expected to come out on the wrong end of the scoreline owing to their ravaged squad.
The disruption caused by the coronavirus cluster is truly disheartening for a Lens side who have enjoyed a strong set of results early on in the campaign, although Sang et Or proved no match for high-flying Lille in their most recent domestic fixture, as Haise's men succumbed to a 4-0 drubbing in gameweek seven.
Should the game go ahead as planned, Lens will endeavour to win their first game against Marseille since 2010, with Les Olympiens coming up trumps in the last four meetings between the sides in all competitions.
Marseille Ligue 1 form: LDDDWW
Marseille form (all competitions): DDWLWL
Lens Ligue 1 form: WWWDWL
Team News
Villas-Boas opted for an unorthodox 5-3-2 formation against the attacking prowess of City, which ultimately did not bear fruit, and the Marseille manager is expected to revert back to a 4-3-3 here.
Surprisingly, Dimitri Payet started on the bench in midweek but is back for Ligue 1 following a domestic suspension, and the Frenchman should reclaim his spot in the first XI on Friday.
Dario Benedetto was also dropped from the starting lineup in midweek, and the Argentine is still waiting to open his account for the campaign but will probably spearhead the Olympiens attack nonetheless.
As for the coronavirus-hit visitors, Lens have not disclosed the names of those who tested positive, leaving it incredibly hard to predict which players may take to the field on Friday.
However, assistant manager Lilian Nalis confirmed at his press conference that Gael Kakuta is training well and available, but Jonathan Gradit, Clement Michelin and Yannick Cahuzac are all suspended.
Owing to the viral outbreak, five youth players in Adrien Louveau, Nicolas Gillot, Cory Sene, Boris Enow and Ansou Sow have joined up with the first team for Friday's encounter.
Marseille possible starting lineup:
Mandanda; Sakai, Gonzalez, Caleta-Car, Amavi; Kamara, Sanson, Cuisance; Thauvin, Benedetto, Payet
Lens possible starting lineup:
Leca; Sene, Louveau, Bade; Clauss, Enow, Doucoure, Boura; Kakuta; Sotoca, Sow
We say: Marseille 3-0 Lens
Until further results come back - which should be on Thursday morning at the latest - Friday's game is still threatened with the risk of postponement. However, should Lens be cleared to make the journey to the Orange Velodrome, their youthful setup is sure to be given a harsh welcome to life in the big time by a full-strength Marseille outfit, and the hosts are sure to record a straightforward victory if the match is indeed played.
Top betting tip
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