Preview: Marseille vs. Toulouse - prediction, team news, lineups

The hosts have taken eight points from a possible 12 this season, while the visitors sit on five points after four matches.

Match preview

After failing to book their place in the Champions League last month - suffering an agonising penalty shootout defeat to Greek side Panathinaikos in the third qualifying round - Marseille have been determined to make amends in Ligue 1.

Les Olympiens have registered two wins and two draws in the league this season, meaning that Marcelino's side boast an unbeaten domestic record ahead of the fifth round of fixtures, while only Monaco have picked up more points in 2023-24.

Following a 2-1 victory over Reims on the opening weekend, Marseille played out a 2-2 draw with Metz before claiming a 2-0 win over Brest, with a 1-1 draw against Nantes coming before the international break.

Still, Marcelino's men will be kicking themselves after failing to claim all three points last time out, as OM failed to build on Ismaila Sarr's fourth-minute opener following Bastien Meupiyou's ninth-minute red card.

Despite playing almost the entire game against 10 men - racking up 26 shots while dominating the possession - Marseille were unable to break down Nantes' stubborn defence, but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and co will back themselves to find their scoring boots.

That said, Toulouse will fancy their chances of frustrating Marseille having already held Paris Saint-Germain to a draw this season, picking up positive results against Nantes and Clermont for good measure.

After defeating Nantes 2-1 on the opening weekend, Les Pitchouns snatched a late draw against PSG in their second match, despite seeing just 23% of the ball on home soil, with Zakaria Aboukhlal's 87th-minute penalty cancelling out Kylian Mbappe's earlier spot kick.

Following a 2-0 defeat to Strasbourg in the third round, Carles Martinez Novell's men played out a 2-2 draw with Clermont before the international break, although they could - and probably - should have come away with all three points.

Toulouse raced into a two-goal lead inside 14 minutes last time out, courtesy of early strikes from Aboukhlal and Frank Magri, but they failed to hold onto their advantage, with Florent Ogier netting a 96th-minute equaliser for the visitors.

Although Les Pitchouns have managed to win just one of their first four matches this term, they have also suffered a solitary defeat, giving fans plenty of reasons for optimism.

Marseille Ligue 1 form:

Marseille form (all competitions):

Toulouse Ligue 1 form:

Toulouse form (all competitions):

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Team News

Marseille are still without long-term injury absentee Pedro Ruiz, while new signings Geoffrey Kondogbia and Michael Murillo also find themselves on the treatment table.

Les Olympiens made a number of notable additions during the summer transfer window, bringing in high-profile players like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Iliman Ndiaye, Renan Lodi, Ismaila Sarr, Ruslan Malinovskyi and Joaquin Correa.

Sarr and Correa will likely operate on the flanks in a 4-4-2 formation, with Ndiaye partnering Aubemeyang in the forward line, while Lodi should keep his place at left-back.

On the flip side, Toulouse's injury list features Ibrahim Cissoko, Junior Flemmings, Naatan Skytta and Oliver Zanden, with the latter's last appearance coming all the way back in January.

The visitors look set to line up in a 3-4-1-2 formation on Sunday, with Cesar Gelabert operating behind Zakaria Aboukhlal and Frank Magri in attack, while Logan Costa, Rasmus Nicolaisen and Moussa Diarra are expected to start at centre-back.

Marseille possible starting lineup:

Lopez; Clauss, Gigot, Mbemba, Lodi; Sarr, Rongier, Veretout, Correa; Ndiaye, Aubameyang

Toulouse possible starting lineup:

Restes; Costa, Nicolaisen, Diarra; Desler, Casseres, Sierro, Suazo; Gelabert; Aboukhlal, Magri

We say: Marseille 3-1 Toulouse

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