Having been subjected to the harshest of Ligue 1 homecomings, newly-promoted Metz face another daunting encounter against Marseille at the Stade Saint-Symphorien on Friday night.
Les Grenats were thumped 5-1 by Rennes on the opening matchday, while their visitors are seeking to bounce back from a humbling Champions League qualifying exit to Panathinaikos.
A magnificent 25-game unbeaten streak in Ligue 2 preceded an equally strong pre-season campaign for the returning Metz, who also navigated their six summer friendlies without suffering a single defeat, but those runs counted for nought at Roazhon Park.
Laszlo Boloni’s side initially responded well to adversity when Youssef Maziz headed home just one minute after Rennes’ Arnaud Kalimuendo had opened the scoring last Sunday, but the onslaught commenced in the second half, as Amine Gouiri and Jeremy Doku struck before a late Ibrahim Salah brace.
Boloni would have undoubtedly been realistic about his side’s expectations for the 2023-24 campaign, but Les Grenats’ position in the embryonic standings could be construed as a harbinger of doom, as Metz sit rock bottom in 18th place after the opening matchday.
Only goal difference is currently keeping Metz below the other losing sides from last weekend in Lyon, Clermont, Lens, Nantes and Reims, and just two sides will be demoted to Ligue 2 automatically following the reduction of the league from 20 teams to 18, offering plenty of survival hope for the Stade Saint-Symphorien faithful.
Defeat to Rennes on the opening day marked Metz’s first loss in any competitive or non-competitive fixture since a Coupe de France exit to Lyon in January, while they have not suffered back-to-back league losses since September, but few will bank on that 11-month record holding up here.
Redemption was on Marseille’s mind when Reims came to town for their Ligue 1 opener last weekend, as Marcelino’s side had gone down 1-0 to Panathinaikos in the first leg of their Champions League qualifying third-round tie a few days beforehand, and a sense of dread was apparent inside the opening 10 minutes at the Orange Velodrome too.
A fine volley from Japanese attacker Junya Ito saw the visitors draw first blood, but Moroccan World Cup star Azzedine Ounahi responded before the break with a stunning strike from outside the area, before Vitinha bundled the ball over the line in the second half to complete a morale-boosting turnaround.
A Champions League comeback was also on the cards when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s brace sent Les Olympiens 2-1 up on aggregate against Panathinaikos on Tuesday, but Fotis Ioannidis’s spot kick in the ninth minute of injury time forced extra time and penalties, where Matteo Guendouzi fluffed his lines to relegate Marseille to the Europa League group stage.
On the back of that continental heartache, Marseille boss Marcelino has little time to fix his side’s defensive deficiencies – which have seen Les Olympiens concede at least once in each of their last 11 competitive fixtures – while they lost their last three Ligue 1 away games to Lens, Lille and relegated Ajaccio last term.
Marseille’s head-to-head record against Metz makes for positive reading, though, as Les Olympiens have gone unbeaten in their last seven Ligue 1 fixtures versus Les Grenats since a 1-0 loss in February 2017, when now-Marseille attacker Ismaila Sarr was on the books at the Stade
One minor positive for veteran Metz coach Boloni from their drubbing at Rennes was that his side came through with no new injury or suspension concerns to worry about, and changes will likely be kept to a minimum despite the manner of that defeat.
With winger Maziz and striker Georges Mikautadze combining for their side’s first goal of the campaign at Roazhon Park, Benjamin Tetteh – a summer signing from Hull City – should be kept as a reserve option once more.
Long-serving midfielder Habib Maiga was only an unused substitute at Roazhon Park, but the Ivorian boasts plenty of Ligue 1 know-how from previous campaigns and may come into Boloni’s thinking for a place this weekend.
Similarly, Marseille’s treatment room is near-empty at the moment, although teenage attacker Francois-Regis Mughe sustained an ankle injury in the win over Reims and was unavailable to take on Panathinaikos in midweek.
Marcelino will be boosted by the return of midfield fulcrum Geoffrey Kondogbia from a European suspension, though, and the former Atletico Madrid man could provide fresh legs in the middle over Jordan Veretout.
Amine Harit, Vitinha and Leonardo Balerdi may also be the beneficiaries of rotation this week, as might Guendouzi, despite the Frenchman’s fatal penalty miss on Tuesday night.
Metz possible starting lineup:
Oukidja; Colin, Traore, Cande, Kouao; Maiga, N’Doram; Sabaly, Camara, Maziz; Mikautadze
Marseille possible starting lineup:
Lopez; Clauss, Mbemba, Balerdi, Lodi; Sarr, Kondogbia, Rongier, Harit; Vitinha, Aubameyang
We say: Metz 1-3 Marseille
Marseille’s dismal away record and ongoing shortcomings at the back could offer Metz some optimism of a shock result this Friday, and we would not put it past Boloni’s men to prolong the visitors’ streak without a clean sheet.
The hosts’ own defensive record does not inspire confidence, though, and a refreshed Marseille team should have no trouble getting back on track to remain perfect in Ligue 1.
