Fresh from a resounding 3-0 win at Christophe Galtier's Nice, Strasbourg return to the Stade de la Meinau to take on Marseille on Sunday in Ligue 1.

Meanwhile, Les Olympiens beat Lokomotiv Moscow 1-0 in the Europa League, but it was not enough to see them clinch a top-two spot in the group.

Match preview

Despite going on a five-game unbeaten run and putting five past Bordeaux, many had written Strasbourg off before their trip to Nice, but Julien Stephan's side proved the doubters wrong with a dominant display at the Allianz Riviera.

Ludovic Ajorque, Habib Diallo and Adrien Thomasson all found the back of the net to condemn Nice to a 3-0 defeat on their own turf, and Strasbourg are firmly in the European mix after winning back-to-back games for the first time since September.

Les Coureurs have taken 26 points from a possible 51 to rise to sixth in the rankings, and they will leapfrog this week's opponents Marseille into the top five with all three points here, but Les Olympiens do still have a game in hand.

Strasbourg's six-game unbeaten run and hunt for European football is a stark contrast to the final days of Thierry Laurey's reign in the dugout, and a tally of 34 goals - an average of two per game - can only be bested by Paris Saint-Germain.

Furthermore, 23 of those 34 strikes have come at the Stade de la Meinau - making them the division's most prolific side on home soil - and they have taken 10 points from the last 12 on offer in front of their own fans before the visit of a fatigued Marseille.

Arkadiusz Milik's header against Lokomotiv settled the contest in Marseille's favour - even though the hosts lost Valentin Rongier to a red card 10 minutes from time - but Jorge Sampaoli's men will be forced to settle for Europa Conference League glory after finishing third in Europa League Group E.

More taxing away journeys across the continent is not what the doctor ordered for Marseille, who have clearly been struggling to balance league and European commitments in the past few months in spite of their impressive squad depth.

Last time out in Ligue 1, Sampaoli's men went down 2-1 to Brest at the Orange Velodrome for their third league defeat of the season, but they remain third in the table and are only two points adrift of second-placed Rennes - who have played a game more.

There is also the small matter of rearranging their postponed Choc des Olympiques battle with Lyon, but having lost just one of their eight Ligue 1 away games so far this term - as well as conceding only one goal in their last three - Sampaoli's side will be intent on spoiling the Strasbourg party this week.

It has been over 16 years since Strasbourg last beat Marseille in Ligue 1 - winning 1-0 at home in April 2005 - as Les Olympiens travel to the Stade de la Meinau aiming to stretch their unbeaten league run against Sunday's hosts to 12 matches after a win and a draw last term.

Team News

Strasbourg have no fresh injury or suspension concerns to work around for Sunday's contest, but Maxime Le Marchand and Lebo Mothiba remain in the hosts' infirmary.

Diallo's inclusion over Kevin Gameiro at the Allianz Riviera paid dividends on the night, and the 26-year-old - now on eight goals for the season - will surely hold his place.

Having had a week to recover and reflect on that stunning performance, Stephan will likely see no need to make any alterations to his starting XI this weekend.

As for Marseille, Sampaoli is blessed with a fully-fit squad from which to pick from, as Rongier's Europa League sending-off means nothing for this battle.

Boubacar Kamara was surprisingly named on the bench for the Lokomotiv clash but will surely return to the starting lineup here, potentially in place of Pape Gueye.

Dimitri Payet should also return to the final third, while Steve Mandanda and Pau Lopez continue their battle for the gloves after the former got the nod in midweek.

Strasbourg possible starting lineup:
Sels; Guilbert, Djiku, Nyamsi, Perrin, Caci; Sissoko, Bellegarde; Thomasson; Ajorque, Diallo

Marseille possible starting lineup:
Lopez; Saliba, Caleta-Car, Peres; Lirola, Kamara, Guendouzi, De la Fuente; Under, Payet; Milik

We say: Strasbourg 3-2 Marseille

Strasbourg have been given a new lease of life under Stephan and are reaping the rewards, with another goal-laden showing against a weary Marseille potentially on the cards.

The hosts' defence is hardly impenetrable either, but Les Coureurs are on cloud nine at the minute, and we expect their eye-catching run to continue with all three points in what should be a fantastic watch for the neutrals.

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