Second meets third in Sunday's Ligue 1 encounter as best-of-the-rest contenders Marseille and Nice prepare for battle at the Orange Velodrome.

Les Olympiens head into the game having just booked their spot in the last eight of the Europa Conference League, while Les Aiglons were shut out by Montpellier HSC last weekend.

Match preview

Even with suspended star man Dimitri Payet forced to watch on helplessly, Marseille secured a straightforward route into the quarter-finals of the Europa Conference League on Thursday - seeing off Swiss giants Basel 4-2 on aggregate in the last 16.

After claiming a 2-1 first-leg win on home soil, Marseille ran out winners by the same scoreline at St. Jakob-Park thanks to Cengiz Under and Valentin Rongier's late efforts, but they were handed an early scare when Nice loanee Dan Ndoye opened the scoring for Basel.

Jorge Sampaoli's side will be keenly watching the draw for the last eight later on Friday afternoon, but for now, cementing their second-placed ranking in the Ligue 1 table is the task at hand, with a whopping 15 points separating them from runaway leaders Paris Saint-Germain.

Last weekend's 4-1 win over Brest marked the second of three successive wins for Marseille in all competitions - ending a three-game winless run in Ligue 1 in the process - but it is now five games without a clean sheet for Sampaoli's leaky crop.

Furthermore, not since January have Les Olympiens managed to record a shutout in the top flight, and having won just one of their last six Ligue 1 games at the Orange Velodrome, a fatigued Marseille side must battle hard to maintain their grip on second spot this weekend.

While Marseille have struggled at times to perform domestically this term while also juggling European commitments, Christophe Galtier's Nice have been able to maintain focus on the fight for podium spots, and a spot in the Champions League is now firmly in their own hands.

Les Aiglons were counting their lucky stars at the Stade de la Mosson last week, though, as they held out for a 0-0 draw against Montpellier despite Dante's first-half red card, as Teji Savanier's dreadful attempt at a panenka penalty fell kindly into the arms of Walter Benitez.

Managing to record a shutout while playing the majority of the encounter with 10 men is no mean feat, but such resilience has typified this third-placed Nice side under Galtier, and they are level with Marseille on both points and goal difference heading into this crunch clash.

Galtier's men only find themselves behind Marseille courtesy of the goals scored column, and while their showings have been far from spectacular in recent weeks, they recorded an impressive fourth Ligue 1 clean sheet on the bounce in the Montpellier stalemate.

On the other hand, failing to score in any of their last three away games is not a cause for optimism for Nice, who thrashed Les Olympiens 4-1 in this year's Coupe de France quarter-finals after a 1-1 draw at the Allianz Riviera in the league, with the rescheduled match taking place behind closed doors after the previous incidence of crowd trouble.

Team News

Marseille will welcome Payet back to the starting XI with open arms this week, with the 34-year-old - who boasts nine goals and nine assists in the current top-flight season - primed to take the place of Amine Harit.

Les Olympiens remain fortunate on the injury front and have no fitness concerns whatsoever to contend with for this game, but changes should be in the offing given Sampaoli's enviable squad depth.

Pau Lopez is sure to come back in goal for Steve Mandanda, while Arkadiusz Milik, Gerson and Boubacar Kamara are all ready to freshen up the first XI on Sunday.

Meanwhile, veteran Nice defender Dante has been slapped with a one-game ban for his red card against Montpellier, with Flavius Daniliuc ready to deputise alongside Jean-Clair Todibo.

However, replacing Dante's 38 years of experience could prove troublesome - with Todibo and Daniliuc only having a combined age of 42 - so Galtier may consider dropping Morgan Schneiderlin further back this weekend.

Nice only have Justin Kluivert to worry about injury-wise after he missed the Montpellier draw - reportedly after a training injury - and Kasper Dolberg will certainly hope to earn a recall amid his side's barren scoreless run away from home.

Marseille possible starting lineup:
Lopez; Rongier, Saliba, Caleta-Car, Peres; Gerson, Kamara, Guendouzi; Under, Milik, Payet

Nice possible starting lineup:
Benitez; Lotomba, Todibo, Daniliuc, Bard; Boudaoui, Schneiderlin, Lemina, Gouiri; Dolberg, Delort

We say: Marseille 1-1 Nice

Nice's XI now has an even more youthful look about it with Dante absent, but every member of Galtier's backline has played their part in conceding a league-low 21 goals this term - only seven of which have come on the road.

However, a well-rested Payet will have a glint in his eyes against the Aiglons prospects, but with Sampaoli's side battling European fatigue and a long journey home, we have faith in Nice to finally find the back of the net away from home and take a point back to base as the two sides remain neck-and-neck in the standings.

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