Lens – Marseille

Lance will try to push Marseille off the top spot in Ligue 1.

In the match of the ninth round of the French championship, Marseille will play away against Lens. This is one of the central encounters of the round. Marseille, despite all its problems, quirks, and criticism, has climbed to the top spot, and a rather decent squad by Ligue 1 standards even allows them to dream of contesting for the championship. However, the gap from PSG is only one point, and other competitors are closing in. Among them is Lens, which is just two points behind Marseille – as is Strasbourg. So, in the case of an unfavourable turn of events, Marseille could drop from first to fourth place in just one round – the Provencals should not be too complacent. Nevertheless, Marseille's form in Ligue 1 is impressive compared to their competitors. For instance, their goal difference is 14, while the second-best figure is 8, achieved by PSG. Marseille has scored the most goals and conceded the least. Interestingly, Lens has also matched this feat. An intriguing match is promised, supported by the recent good results of both teams. Marseille has won their last five matches in Ligue 1 consecutively. This streak is somewhat tempered by their results in the Champions League, where the craziness of the Provencals is costing them dearly. This week, they lost to Sporting (1:2), having received a red card in the first half. However, prior to that, they thrashed Le Havre (6:2), Metz (3:0), Ajax (4:0) in the Champions League, and defeated Strasbourg (2:1) and PSG (1:0) in Ligue 1, both of which are considered their direct competitors. So Marseille has a fantastic potential. But Lens is strong too. Of their last seven matches, they have lost only one – to PSG (0:2). After that, they thrashed Lille (3:0), drew with Rennes (0:0), and won against Auxerre (2:1) and Paris (2:1). After a significant squad overhaul, Lens has managed to find their balanced game and returned to contesting for European competition places.