Marseille will be looking to keep pace with the front-runners in the Ligue 1 title race when they travel to an in-form Nantes side on Wednesday night.
Nantes are yet to taste defeat since returning from the World Cup break, whereas Marseille have not lost in the French top flight since October.
Match preview
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Nantes played out a second 0-0 draw in their last three Ligue 1 matches on Sunday afternoon at Stade Gabriel Montpied against Clermont Foot, a result which extended the team's unbeaten run to eight matches in all competitions.
Remarkably, Antoine Kombouare's men have managed to record seven straight clean sheets since returning from the unprecedented month-long hiatus due to matters in Qatar, with only Paris Saint-Germain and Lens keeping more so far this season in Ligue 1.
That impeccable defensive record so far this calendar year has allowed Les Canaris to pick up a respectable amount of points in 2023, although their inability to string together successive wins has hampered their chances of competing at the top end of the standings.
Kombouare's side have won just four of their 20 matches in Ligue 1 during this campaign, with only Strasbourg, Auxerre and Angers having won fewer fixtures in the division.
Mostafa Mohamed and Moses Simon both have a respectable five goals in the league this season, but last term's ninth-placed team only have six other players who have registered a Ligue 1 strike in this current campaign, showing that there is room for improvement in the Nantes attack.
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Marseille are doing their utmost to challenge PSG and surprise package Lens at the top of the Ligue 1 standings this season, with Igor Tudor's men currently five points behind the league leaders PSG who are fronted by Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi.
Les Phoceens lost ground on their title rivals in their last league match, however, after being forced to share the spoils with Monaco at Orange Velodrome on Saturday night.
The visitors that day were handed an early lead due to a Jordan Veretout own goal, but Tudor's side were able to equalise in the second half courtesy of Chilean Alexis Sanchez, who has now netted in back-to-back Ligue 1 appearances.
With a tricky last-16 tie against PSG coming up in the Coupe de France, Marseille know that they will have to beat the very best of French football if they are to win any silverware this season and pick up their first league trophy since the 2009-10 season.
Les Olympiens have been excellent travellers in the league so far this campaign having lost just once in 10 outings, with that solitary defeat coming at Parc des Princes in October.
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Nantes will continue to have limited options at left-back on Wednesday, with 20-year-old Quentin Merlin sidelined until March with a groin injury sustained in the draw with Lyon, meaning Jaouen Hadjam is set to make only his second league start of the season.
Denis Petric and Nicolas Pallois are expected to be back in action at the start of February after their hip and knee injuries respectively, although Wednesday's match is likely to come too soon for the duo.
Marseille will remain without centre-back Eric Bailly as the Manchester United loanee continues to serve a five-match suspension for a horror tackle during the Coupe de France victory at fourth-tier Hyeres, leaving Sead Kolasinac, Samuel Gigot and Leonardo Balerdi to make up the back three.
Wing-back Jonathan Clauss is still a few weeks away from returning to action after picking up a groin injury in the win at Montpellier at the start of January, an absence that has been felt on the right side of the Marseille side in recent matches.
Second-choice goalkeeper Ruben Blanco will regain his place in the XI with fellow Spaniard Pau Lopez out with a muscle injury - the 28-year-old is hopeful of being available for selection sometime next month.
Nantes possible starting lineup:
Lafont; Centonze, Castelletto, Girotto, Hadjam; Sissoko, Chirivella, Moutoussamy; Blas, Simon, Mohamed
Marseille possible starting lineup:
Blanco; Balerdi, Gigot, Kolasinac; Under, Rongier, Veretout, Tavares; Malinovskyi, Guendouzi, Sanchez
We say: Nantes 0-1 Marseille
Nantes continued their perfect defensive record in 2023 on the weekend with a stalemate at Clermont Foot, but now face a Marseille team who have scored in each of their last 12 matches in all competitions.
Tudor's side know that they cannot afford to drop points in successive fixtures if they are to challenge PSG and Lens for the title this season, and we expect them to earn maximum points at Stade de la Beaujoire on Wednesday night.
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Top tip
Carter White
