AS Monaco and Marseille will do battle on Saturday night at the Stade Louis II for the 100th time in league action, in a match that’s set to excite on all fronts.
Wanting to carry their momentum from their win over Troyes prior to the international break, Monaco will have to be at their best against Jorge Sampaoli’s talented OM outfit.
Speaking ahead of the clash, Niko Kovac neatly summed up the challenge that lies ahead. “Playing OM, a great team that made a successful start to the season, will give us the opportunity to be the focus from the start. The important thing is to start over with a victory,” he mused.
“It will be difficult for us to dominate during the 90 minutes, as we have sometimes done in our previous matches, because Marseille is in the same perspective as us. It will be a very intense game, spectacular for the fans to see, and that’s what I love. Everything is gathered to see a beautiful meeting.”
With Marseille playing with plenty of style and offensive thrust under Sampaoli, they’ve looked a real force to be reckoned with. Indeed, the fact they’ve already scored eight goals (joint third highest in Ligue 1), had the fifth most touches inside the area (76), enjoyed the third most progressive runs (82) and rank seventh for passes into the final third (209) illustrates their threat.
Having conceded five goals in their opening three games, Les Monegasques will hope to find joy against their rivals with their gifted set of attacking options, however.
Despite struggling to convert their chances and dominance, Monaco’s still been a real danger, which is highlighted by the numbers that see them top Ligue 1 for touches inside the penalty area (102), passes into the final third (340), possession (65.2%) and progressive passes (347). Moreover, their menace is amplified by them ranking fourth for dribbles attempted (131) and second for fouls suffered (52).
Upon considering that Kovac’s men are rated first for regaining possession, something their 6.92 passes allowed per defensive action depicts, and this adds another layer of intrigue against a Marseille team who love building out from the back.
Undoubtedly Ligue 1’s game of the week, Monaco’s mouthwatering clash against Marseille is set to be a spectacular encounter between two expertly coached teams full of quality, which appears destined to be decided by the finest of margins.