Looking to avoid a major upset in the early rounds of the competition, Marseille will travel to face Thionville Lusitanos at Stade Saint-Symphorien on Sunday afternoon in the Coupe de France.
The hosts currently ply their trade in the fifth tier of French football, while Les Olympiens are regulars on the European stage as heavyweights.
Match preview
© Reuters
Playing their football in the fifth tier of the French footballing pyramid, the odds are stacked against Thionville Lusitanos making it through to the round of 32 on Sunday afternoon, although you can never rule the underdog out.
Thionville were able to produce a remarkable result to earn a high-profile match against Marseille this weekend, beating second-tier outfit Annecy in a hard-fought contest.
Although Annecy are themselves struggling near of the bottom of the Ligue 2 standings, the success for Lusitanos on December 9 was a real scalp in the competition.
Thionville are currently unbeaten in their section of the fifth tier after nine matches, winning six and drawing three, but their unbeaten status is under significant threat on Sunday.
Marseille return to competitive action following the two-week winter break looking to extend their six-game unbeaten run in all domestic tournaments, with Gennaro Gattuso's men earning a point at the home of Montpellier HSC on December 20.
French youngster Khalil Fayad opened the scoring for the hosts at the Stade de la Mosson-Mondial 98, but a second-half strike from experienced midfielder Jordan Veretout forced a share of the spoils.
Les Olympiens are fighting on three fronts in the first part of 2024 after making it through to the playoff rounds of the Europa League, finishing behind Roberto De Zerbi's Brighton & Hove Albion in the section to set up a two-legged affair with Shakhtar Donetsk in February.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang can only be bettered by the Seagulls' Joao Pedro for Europa League goals this season, and the former Arsenal striker has also been effective in Ligue 1, netting five times in 17 appearances.
- W
- W
- W
- D
- W
- D
- W
- W
- W
Team News
© Reuters
Thionville are expected to field the bulk of the XI which produced an upset in the last round against Annecy as the hosts on Sunday look to repeat the trick.
That means the likes of Vincent Collet and Mohammed Amine Groune should feature for the entirety of the round-of-64 contest.
Gattuso is extremely likely to rotate his side as they visit fifth-tier opposition, meaning players such as Vitor Oliveira and Amine Harit should earn starts after featuring off the bench recently.
Iliman Ndiaye has been linked with a move to the Premier League in recent months, but the former Sheffield United attacker looks set to play a part this weekend.
Thionville Lusitanos possible starting lineup:
Ferino; Gourichy, Habbas, Sylla, Jacquel; Collet, De Taddeo, Bourgeois, Groune; Borger, Poinsignon
Marseille possible starting lineup:
Lopez; Clauss, Mbemba, Gigot, Balerdi, Murillo; Veretout, Kondogbia, Ounahi; Ndiaye, Harit
We say: Thionville Lusitanos 0-5 Marseille
Marseille are overwhelming favourites for this clash - and rightfully so - with only a major capitulation from Les Olympiens potentially allowing Thionville a chance of progressing into the next stage.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Carter White
