Marseille will host Lorient at the Stade Velodrome in Ligue 1 and look to extend their winning run in the league to six.
Following a run of four winless games in October, Les Olympiens won their next five to rediscover their mojo. This run has seen them go from fifth in the standings to third with 39 points from 18 games. Igor Tudor’s side will try to keep pace with leaders and Le Classique rivals PSG, who are eight points ahead of them in the title race.
Lorient, meanwhile, are seven points worse off than Marseille in sixth place, with just one win from their last eight games. Regis Le Bris, who became the club’s manager in June last year, can now feel the heat as his future is under threat.
Below are some of the stats for both teams from the current season.
Overall performance in Ligue 1 this season
Marseille are performing well in terms of attacking and ranks among the top percentile ranks for most of the departments. The team scores a good number of goals per 90 minutes, which is one area where they are among the top 85.7 percentile rank in Ligue 1. Marseille scores a total of 1.96 goals per 90 minutes in the current season.
The above viz shows the percentile rank of Lorient in attacking, defensive, and possession stats compared to other teams in Ligue 1. We can clearly observe that the team is at an average rank in the overall stats; the few areas of decent rank include goals per 90 and pass accuracy. The team averages 1.67 goals per 90 minutes in the current season.
Both teams in front of the goal
The above viz shows the shot map of the team in the current season. It can be observed that Marseille have scored most of their goals from just around the 6-yard box and have found success from distance on a few occasions. They have one of the highest goals per 90 minutes in Ligue 1 and average two goals per match. The team averages 12.94 shots per 90 minutes and has a shot accuracy of 38.6%. Marseille have an xG per 90 of 1.9 in the league, compared to 1.23 for their opponents.
The above viz shows the shot map of the team in the current season. It can be observed that Lorient have scored most of their goals from just around the 6-yard box and have found the back of the net from distance on a few occasions. Lorient averages 10.44 shots per match with 43.1% accuracy. They have an xG of 21.42, which is comparatively low due to their low conversion rates in front of the goal. Additionally, Lorient have an xG per shot of 0.13 in the league. They have an xG per 90 of 1.37 for the current season.
Attacking efficiency
Marseille are ranked highly when it comes to their efficiency in attack and the above benchmarking shows where they stand currently in Ligue 1 as compared to other teams. Marseille are currently at 24% counterattacking efficiency, which is the highest in the league, making 2.17 counterattacks per 90, with 43.3% of them ending in shots. They perform 28.28 positional attacks per 90, with 25.9% ending in shots.
Lorient, on the other hand, creates 24.94 positional attacks per 90, with 23.8% ending in shots. Lorient are currently at 20% counterattacking efficiency, which is decent in the league, making 2.5 counterattacks per 90, with 33.2% of them ending in shots. Marseille are at the top of the league in terms of efficiency in positional attacks, and it will take some smart defending from Lorient to stop Marseille’s attacking prowess.
Winning defensive duels
Marseille have had an amazing ride in defence in Ligue 1 this season. Their defence has been solid and has conceded only 15 goals, which is the third-fewest goal conceded in the league. Marseille gives up 14.39 fouls per match and makes 38.5 interceptions on average. Defensively, they take part in 73 duels with a 63% success rate.
Lorient are ranked lower in Ligue 1 in terms of defensive duels won per 90 minutes, winning only 61.2% of them. The team commits 9.67 fouls on average and takes part in 73.44 defensive duels per 90. The team makes 45.11 interceptions on average. Lorient needs to have the right mindset in order to stop Marseille’s attack.
Player in form
In the 2022–23 French Ligue 1 season, Terem Moffi has played 15 matches (plus one as a sub). Terem has taken 17 shots on target from a total of 31 shots and scored ten goals (6.61 xG). Terem Moffi averages 12 passes per game with a 76% completion rate and no assists. All of the goals have come from inside the box. Terem Moffi has also attempted shots from outside the box and managed to put a few of them on target. His form is something that Marseille’s defence will need to keep in mind.
Team news
For Marseille, Samuel Gigot could remain out due to a concussion, while Amine Harit is not expected to play again this season after suffering a cruciate ligament rupture in Les Phoceens’ last match prior to the World Cup. Tudor only made five changes for Saturday’s win in the French Cup, with Pape Gueye potentially forced into deputising in defence once again given the lack of options at the former Croatia international’s disposal.
For Lorient, Yvon Mvogo will be sidelined until early March because of a tendon injury, Theo Le Bris has a sprained ankle, and Julien Laporte might not be available until the end of January due to a hamstring strain.
Overall, Marseille are flying high and have the momentum firmly in their favour. Besides winning their last five league games, Les Olympiens have also scored 14 goals and could give Lorient a tough run for their money.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine
