Lille OSC – Olympique de Marseille: A New Mbappé Haunts Marseille (1-0)

Kylian Mbappé left France having never lost to Olympique de Marseille; his little brother Ethan Mbappé would make certain to continue the family tradition with Lille OSC. It was far from pretty, but Lille would nullify their guests in an important game near the top of the Ligue 1 table. 

Tactical analysis and match report by Nick Hartland.

Last season, Lille OSC narrowly missed out on the UEFA Champions League places. This year, there is a determination not to make the same mistake. After a brief spell of poor results at the start of November, Les Dogues have quietly been returning to form and came into this weekend in fourth place and only three points behind Olympique de Marseille in third. There looked to be no greater opportunity than to gain some more ground on their visitors. 

Marseille have a great propensity to freeze at the vital moment. Last weekend, they were gifted a golden opportunity to take top spot in Ligue 1; all they needed to do was beat a Toulouse FC side that had not won in their five previous matches. They would snatch a draw from the jaws of victory, as a lack of control on the pitch was then mirrored in the table. Roberto De Zerbi’s side needed to make a statement at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy. 

Bruno Génésio would line his side out in his favored 4-2-3-1 formation. Berke Özer would start in goal behind a defense consisting of Romain Perraud, Aïssa Mandi, Nathan Ngoy, and Thomas Meunier. In midfield, Nabil Bentaleb, in for the suspended Ayyoub Bouaddi, would partner Benjamin André. On the wings, Osame Sahraoui and H . . .