Marseille will begin matchday 26 of the Ligue 1 campaign at Stade Velodrome against Auxerre.
OM moved up to third after a 1-0 triumph over Toulouse, and are level on points with Lyon. Auxerre, meanwhile, are 16th after drawing 0-0 with Strasbourg.
Marseille’s Champions League Ambitions
Marseille’s campaign has taken a positive turn domestically in recent weeks. They are back in position to claim an automatic berth in the League Phase of next season’s Champions League, with wins in their previous two league fixtures.
Since a 2-0 defeat to Nantes in early January, they have yet to lose a home game in normal time versus a French club. Habib Beye is unbeaten domestically at the Velodrome since taking charge.
Only three points separate them from Rennes for fifth, which would put them out of the Champions League running.
Another defeat on Friday would mark their second domestically at home this year, which would already be one more than they suffered in this competition in 2025.
Les Olympiens have won two of their three league outings this season against teams currently in the bottom three, though that lone home contest ended with a loss to Nantes in January.
Auxerre’s Fight for Survival
Wins have been few and far between at Auxerre, though they have been racking up points with a certain degree of consistency since February.
Christophe Pelissier’s men have only lost one of their previous six Ligue 1 affairs (3-0 against Rennes), putting them five points below Nice for a guaranteed place in the top-flight next season.
One slip-up could change their fortunes drastically, though, with AJA a mere two points above Nantes in the final automatic relegation position.
Auxerre have yet to score a goal at home this year, but have picked up points in three straight matches as the visitors in this competition.
The lowest-scoring team in the league (19 goals) have netted a total of five times in their last two league outings on the road, one more than they managed in all of their previous domestic encounters away from home before that this season.
- AJA have won two of their last three Ligue 1 meetings with Marseille.
- This includes a 3-1 triumph in this exact fixture a season ago.
Team News
Just one injury to report on the Marseille side coming into this match, with Quinten Timber doubtful due to a knock.
Mason Greenwood once again found the mark.
With Marseille seeking to move all alone into third place and Auxerre hoping to distance themselves from the relegation zone, both teams have plenty to play for.