Match of the 17th round of the Ligue 1 between Marseille and Nantes will take place on 4 january at the Velodrome stadium. Marseille vs Nantes: prediction, betting odds and statistics.
Marseille
Marseille played last round at home, where they beat Monaco by a narrow margin (1:0). The home side managed to end a just-begun winless run (1 draw and 1 defeat). Interestingly, in the current championship Marseille have had only two such winless stretches. It is also worth noting that the club kept a clean sheet for the sixth time in this Ligue 1 campaign. Marseille are third in the table and trail leaders Lens by 5 points. We should also highlight the attack, which is the best in the championship with 36 goals scored.
- In the last 7 Ligue 1 matches Marseille have suffered just 1 defeat (4 wins and 2 draws).
- At least three goals have been scored in 8 of Marseille’s previous 11 league games.
- At home the club have a 12-match unbeaten run in Ligue 1 (10 wins and 2 draws).
Potential Marseille Lineup (4-3-3)*
Marseille: Jerónimo Rulli – Nayef Aguerd, Michael Murillo, Benjamin Pavard, Emerson – Geoffrey Kondogbia, Arthur Vermeeren, Pierre-Emile Højbjerg – Timothy Weah, Mason Greenwood, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Forward Amin Guari and midfielder Hamed Traore will be sidelined due to injuries. Defenders Nayef Aguerd and Chancel Mbemba are with their national team. The injury to forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang proved to be minor and he will be available.
Nantes
Nantes, coached by Luis Castro, remain in the relegation zone. The gap to the safe 15th place is already 4 points. The visiting team enters the new calendar year on a run of three defeats, losing at home to Lens (1:2) and suffering heavy away defeats to Lyon (0:3) and Angers (1:4). It is worth noting that in this campaign the club have kept a clean sheet only twice. The squad have scored just 14 goals, which is one more than the worst attack in the championship, held by Le Havre.
- The club’s winless run in Ligue 1 stands at 7 matches (2 draws and 5 defeats).
- Exactly two or three goals were scored in 5 of Nantes’ last 6 league games.
- The club have failed to win in 9 of their last 10 away matches in Ligue 1 (4 draws and 5 defeats).
Potential Nantes Lineup (4-4-2)*
Nantes: Anthony Lopes – Chidozie Awaziem, Kelvin Amian, Tilio Tati, Fabien Saint-? – Deiver Machado, Joann Lepenant, Junior Mwanga, Yassine Benhattab – Mostafa Mohamed, Mattis Ablin.
Forward Mostafa Mohamed and defender Chidozie Awaziem are on duty at AFCON 2025. Midfielders Louis Leroux and Ignatius Ganago are unlikely to play due to injuries. The club have loaned midfielder Rémy Cabella from Olympiacos.
Referee
Marc Bollengier (France)
Matches – 7 (Ligue 1, 2025/26);
Yellow/red Cards Shown (including second yellows) – 30;
Average yellow/red Cards Per Match – 4.3;
Red Cards Shown – 2;
Fouls Per Match On Average – 26;
Penalties – 43%.
Marseille vs Nantes: Match Prediction
In this clash opponents from opposite ends of the table will meet. The line offered by bookmakers clearly points to a confident home victory, which is hard to dispute. The difference in class and current form between the sides is too obvious. Nantes have won only two matches in almost half of the championship, and those victories were against Paris and Auxerre – opponents occupying no higher than 14th place.
Only Marseille and PSG remain unbeaten at home in this Ligue 1. In 8 home matches Marseille have recorded 6 wins and 2 draws. It is notable that the home side’s average goal output at their stadium in the current championship is 3 goals. We think the hosts are quite capable of scoring at least three goals again against a Ligue 1 outsider or of beating them by a comfortable margin. Moreover, Nantes conceded as many as 7 goals in their last two away matches. In addition, Marseille have beaten this opponent in all five previous meetings held at the Velodrome.
Prediction: Marseille (-1.5)
* For each team the starting lineup shown is from their previous match in this tournament.