Lorient vs. Marseille: Key Issues and Decisions That Will Shape Ligue 1 Game
FC Lorient’s 3-2 comeback win over Toulouse FC at the Stade Municipal on Saturday was enough to move the Breton side out of the relegation zone this weekend. After going 1-0 down, they showed great character to win their second game in a row, but against Marseille on Tuesday, the odds are stacked against Les Merlus.
There are definite connections between the two sides. Marseille’s Alaixys Romao, Jeremy Morel and Andre-Pierre Gignac made their name at the Stade du Moustoir and Lorient’s centre-forward Jordan Ayew left OM this summer, finally making a break from beneath his brother Andre’s shadow.
As you would expect, Marseille have a good record in this fixture, some teams can struggle on the plastic pitch, but OM have won five of the last seven meetings in Brittany.
Last season, Marseille won this fixture 2-0, but both goal scorers have since left the club. Mathieu Valbuena is staring for Dinamo Moscow and Ayew is playing for Lorient.
After a slow start, the 23-year-old Ghanaian has scored three goals and set up four and is growing into his role at Lorient with every passing week. Scoring against his old club would be a wonderful way to seal his place as Lorient’s star man.
Here are the key issues and decisions that will shape Marseille’s trip to Lorient.
Marseille's Midfield Dominance Will Be Crucial
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Tuesday night’s game sees an interesting battle between two established formations. Even before Sylvain Ripoll took charge, Lorient has regularly played 4-4-2. There are not many sides in France that play this way and it has varying degrees of success for Les Merlus.
Marseille’s 4-2-3-1 under Marcelo Bielsa will cause Lorient, as it has every other club, quite a number of problems.
Lorient’s duo of Walid Mesloub and Rafidine Abdullah will have to be at their best to take on Bielsa’s three-man midfield, including tracking seven-assist man Dimitri Payet and the power and force of Giannelli Imbula.
There is a case for Ripoll to change things up and bring experienced international midfielder Mehdi Mostefa into the midfield, but changing formation after two victories would be a risky move for the young coach.
Lorient Needs to Continue Impressive Wing Play
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Going forward, Marseille have looked fantastic this season, scoring 32 goals this season, but at the back, despite only conceding 13 times this season, everything has not been as rosy.
Recent suspensions and injuries have forced Bielsa into changes in the centre of defence, but the main problems have come from the full-backs. Against Paris Saint-Germain and Bordeaux, Benjamin Mendy was at fault for two of the goals they conceded.
On the other side, Brice Dja Djedje nearly cost OM dear against Nantes, handing Georges-Kevin N’Koudou a guilt-edged chance. Luckily for the full-back, Steve Mandanda was on hand to save the day.
Lorient’s Portuguese star Raphael Guerreiro has been in great form lately. Moved from left-back to left midfield, the 20-year-old has scored three goals in four games plus his first goal for Portugal in the 1-0 win over Argentina at Old Trafford.
If the home side are to have any chance of causing an upset against Marseille, Guerreiro will need to continue this form, causing problems to Dja Djedje at right-back and forcing Rod Fanni to move out wide to cover.
Marauding runs from Guerreiro, creating chances for himself and Lorient’s attackers, could be all FCL need to try and unsettle Bielsa’s defenders.
Returning Former Stars Could Come Back to Haunt Lorient
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Sometimes it must feel like it’s destined to happen. That player your club sold coming back to haunt you and scoring on his return. For Lorient on Tuesday, there are quite a few Marseille players that they’ll have to be wary of.
Andre-Pierre Gignac scored 11 goals in 51 games for Lorient before his first big-money move to Toulouse. Although he left Brittany seven years ago, the 28-year-old has only scored twice against his old club.
His performances may not have been excellent every week this season, but he still has 11 goals in 15 games. Odds must be high on the France international coming back to haunt his old club on Tuesday.
If the threat of Gignac wasn’t enough, Lorient will also welcome Alaixys Romao, Jeremy Morel and Mario Lemina back to the Stade du Moustoir. Andre Ayew is still injured and won’t feature after he spent time on loan at Les Merlus.
With four former players potentially returning, the odds are high on one of them making an impact as the league leaders’ travel to 15th-place Lorient.
