Metz vs Marseille Preview and Prediction France Ligue 1 2017

Date: Friday, 3rd February 2017
Kick off at 19:45 UK / 20:45 CET
Venue: Saint-Symphorien, Metz.

Metz Preview
Metz’s two-game unbeaten run in Ligue 1 ended on Saturday as they suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat on the road at Angers. Their recent form has seen Metz winning just once in their last seven games across all competitions. Metz find themselves second from the bottom in the Ligue 1 table with just 21 points to their name after 21 rounds, but it has to be said that they had two points deducted following some incidents from their home fixture against Lyon a few months ago. Keeping the ball out of their own net has been Metz’s main issue throughout this Ligue 1 campaign, as they have one of the most leakiest defences in the division with 38 goals conceded in 21 rounds. Metz have allowed at least two goals in five of their last seven games across all competitions. Metz can count on their home form ahead of this clash as they are undefeated in the last five home fixtures in all competitions, scoring at least two goals in four of these. The bad news is that Metz have only won once in their last six home meetings with Marseille in Ligue 1 while losing four in this term. Mevlut Erdinc is Metz’s topscorer at the moment with 6 goals under his belt, but he has failed to find the back of the net over the past four months.

MARSEILLE PREVIEW
On the contrary, Marseille managed to get back to winning ways last Friday thanks to a comfortable 5-1 home victory over Montpellier. Bafetimbi Gomis scored a hat-trick to increase his goalscoring tally to 13 in his 21 league appearances. The win lifts OM in 6th spot in the Ligue 1 table tied on 33 points with the 5th-placed Saint-Etienne, just four points off the top four. Marseille looked decent going forward throughout this Ligue 1 campaign, but they have been a bit disorganised at the back. OM conceded 27 goals in 22 rounds, including eight in their last three league fixtures. The away form has also been a problem, as Marseille have only won two of their eleven away league fixtures so far this season. The good news is that Marseille picked up victories in three of their last four visits to the Stade Saint-Symphorien, conceding just once in the process. Head-to-head, Marseille have won the last five meetings with Metz in Ligue 1, scoring at least two goals in four of these. Bafetimbi Gomis and Florian Thauvin have been OM’s most in-form players so far this season, as the pair have bagged 19 goals and 5 assists between them.

Metz Team News
Georges Mandjeck, Ismaila Sarr, Matthieu Udol, Yann Jouffre, Vincent Thill, Vahid Selimovic, Benoit Assou-Ekotto and Florent Mollet are all doubts ahead of this game.

Marseille Team News
Romain Alessandrini, Henri Bedimo and Boubacar Kamara are all doubts, but Tomas Hubocan and Abou Diaby are both missing through injury.

Betting Predictions and Tips

Marseille are hot favourites to win here, but Metz looked very solid in front of their fans over the past few months. Actually, Metz have been in a much better form at home than Marseille have been on the road over the past few weeks. It’s a tricky one, so I’m expecting an open affair with goals at both ends of the field.

Both teams to score – Yes

Over 2.5 goals