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Marseille will look to maintain their position at the top of Ligue 1 when they travel to Lens on Saturday, aiming to put their midweek Champions League disappointment behind them.
Roberto De Zerbi’s side have made a remarkable start to the domestic campaign, winning six of their last seven matches after losing their season opener. They currently sit one point ahead of Paris Saint-Germain at the summit of the French league table.
Marseille have been prolific in attack, scoring four or more goals in three matches — including a resounding 6-2 win over Le Havre last weekend, in which Mason Greenwood struck four times.
They also secured a rare triumph over bitter rivals PSG and delivered a stunning 4-0 victory against Ajax in Europe, fuelling hopes of a deep Champions League run.
However, those ambitions took a hit on Wednesday as Marseille fell 2-1 away to Sporting Lisbon. Igor Paixao had given the 1993 European champions an early lead, but the match turned when Emerson Palmieri was controversially sent off just before half-time.
Initially awarded a penalty, the decision was overturned by VAR, and the Italian full-back received a second yellow card for simulation. Sporting took full advantage of their numerical superiority to overturn the deficit.
“There are defeats and then there are defeats,” De Zerbi said afterwards. “This one should give us more pride and confidence. We must recover quickly, both physically and mentally, because Lens will be a tough opponent.”
Lens, who have also enjoyed an encouraging start to the season, have only been beaten by Lyon and PSG. A victory at home would see them leapfrog Marseille in the standings.
New coach Pierre Sage, dismissed by Lyon midway through last season despite a promising spell in charge, has quickly made his mark at Lens after replacing Will Still.
All eyes will be on Florian Thauvin, the former Marseille favourite who made nearly 300 appearances for the club between 2013 and 2021.
His impressive form since joining Lens from Udinese over the summer earned him a recall to the French national team earlier this month.
