The Olympique de Marseille prepares to receive the MHSC: a crucial meeting as the end of the season approaches

The Olympique de Marseille will host Montpellier HSC on Saturday 19 April at 9:05 pm at the Stade Vélodrome, on the 30th day of Ligue 1. The tension is palpable as both teams prepare for this meeting which could have a significant impact on their rankings.

** Probable composition and technical details**

The likely compositions of both teams were revealed. For OM, one can expect a formation with Rulli and Murillo in central defence, with Kondogbia or Cornelius at their side. Rongier or Bennacer will probably hold on the left, while Hojbjerg, Merlin, Rabiot, Greenwood and Gouiri will complete the central axis.

For MHSC, the defence will be provided by Rulli and Murillo. The midfield will consist of Kondogbia (or Cornelius), Garcia, Henrique, Rongier (or Bennacer), and the rest of the axis will be provided by Hojbjerg, Merlin, Rabiot, Greenwood and Gouiri.

The referee of the match will be Jérôme Brisard, assisted by Alexis Augeret and Valentin Evrard. Mikaël Lesage will be the fourth arbitrator. Alexandre Castro and Christian Guillard will be the referees for video assistants.

The statements of coaches and players

Roberto De Zerbia, OM coach, expressed concern about the current situation. “We lost five games out of the last seven. We could have had a lot of points ahead of the fourth or fifth. Players were injured, important players had a physical drop… I’ve been talking about mentality all year. This is the problem that probably has not been solved.” He also stressed the need to be “hard with the players” and to “congratulate, embrace them”.

OM player Zumana Camara said that the current game system will be maintained “until the end of the season”, unless physically prevented. He also stressed the importance of having “the philosophy and these intentions in times when we will have the ball to get a result”.

Dissemination and weather

The meeting will be broadcast live on DAZN. The weather forecast in Marseille at 9pm (according to accuweather.com) will be an element to take into account.

The atmosphere at the Stade Vélodrome looks electric as both teams play a key game in the race at the end of the season.