It’s a massacre in the Marseille city. A few days before the most important match of the season, at least for the supporters, against PSG this Sunday (8:45 p.m.) in Ligue 1, the Olympique de Marseille infirmary is filling up at high speed.
Upon returning from the international break, eleven players should be missing on the Commanderie pitch for the resumption of training. Jean-Louis Gasset will have to show creativity if he wants to see his team try to stand up to their Parisian rival.
A real specter of injuries for the clubs, the international break will have given OM no free pass. Of the six Marseille players called up with their selection, four returned injured. The Swiss Ulisses Garcia, the Senegalese Pape Gueye and Ismaïla Sarr as well as the French international Jonathan Clauss returned to Marseille with physical problems. Absences which combine with those of Valentin Rongier, Samuel Gigot, Bilal Nadir, Simon Ngapandouetnbu, Jean Onana, Bamo Meïté and Amir Murillo.
A considerable challenge for the club which is preparing to compete in the most important period of the season, which will see it face Paris, Lille, Nice and Lens in the coming weeks. Without forgetting an important double confrontation against Benfica in the quarter-finals of the Europa League on April 11 and 18.
A defense to rebuild
If Jean-Louis Gasset has one area of play that will need to be focused on, it is defense. The statistic is crazy: against Paris, the former Ivory Coast coach will only have two defensive elements at his disposal to try to counter the attacks of the capital club, with Chancel Mbemba and Quentin Merlin. Already absent against Rennes before the break, Leonardo Balerdi is also injured in the adductor muscles and would remain uncertain for Sunday, according to information from L’Équipe.
The absences of Gigot, Meïté, Murillo and Clauss, combined with the possible withdrawal of the Argentine defender, should push the Olympians to knit in behind. The staff could in particular opt for solutions leading to Geoffrey Kondogbia, who has already played in the center with Atlético de Madrid, or to the young Franco-English midfielder Emran Soglo, who had already been replaced as left back by Marcelino during the summer preparation.
The other key, which would consist of calling young people, also exists. It remains to be seen whether the Marseille board will decide to decimate the U19 group which will travel to Rennes earlier today in the round of 16 of the Gambardella.
On the Parisian side, captain Marquinhos is uncertain. Bradley Barcola, injured against Ivory Coast with the Bleuets, is already out.
In the standings, the capital club is leader and has a 20-point lead over its opponent this weekend, seventh.
