France-Portugal. This week, French clubs will once again face Portuguese teams in the UEFA Champions League. Yesterday Paris Saint-Germain was again tied against Benfica (1-1). Tonight Olympique de Marseille will try to get a better result against Sporting CP. Last week, the Phocaeans had their first success of the season in the C1 by winning 4-1 at the Orange Vélodrome. This allowed them to start again in Group D, where they are still last with 3 points but three lengths behind Sporting, leader with 6 points.
To make a splash at the Estádio José Alvalade, Igor Tudor will rely on practically all of his players. Only Sead Kolasinac (muscle injury) is missing. Uncertain times, Jonathan Clauss and Mattéo Guendouzi are available for this meeting in Lisbon. The Croatian technician should therefore bet on 3-4-2-1 against the Portuguese. Unsurprisingly, Pau Lopez has a good chance of starting this encounter. For him, the Balerdi-Bailly-Mbemba trio is expected to kick off. Back at his former club, Nuno Tavares will take on the role of the left piston, while Jonathan Clauss will have the same mission on the right. The Veretout-Rongier duo will be at the center of the game.
OM almost done
In the attack, Igor Tudor will count on Amine Harit, very good in the first stage, and on Mattéo Guendouzi. The two men will have the difficult task of supporting Alexis Sanchez, who is at the forefront. Scorer in the big win in Marseille, the Chilean plans to do it again in the return game. But the situation should be different. In a press conference, Ruben Amorim warned the Olympians and said his team had learned a lot from their mistakes. The Portuguese coach intends to opt for a 3-4-3 system against OM on Wednesday evening.
To support goalkeeper Israel and contain the French attacks, Reis, Coates and Inacio should start on the defensive. The Nuno Santos-Morita-Ugarte-Porro quartet will also have a lot to do, especially in midfield. Finally, Gonçalves, on the left, and Trincão, on the right (scorer in the first leg), will evolve in support of Edwards, aligned in the foreground. A team that hopes to take revenge after a correction in Marseille last week. Everything is there to make this meeting exciting. Kick-off at 9pm! (competition to follow live commented on our site).