What defense for Marseilles, the victim of the actual massacre?

OM and PSG face each other this Sunday (9 pm) for the French Championship Classic that closes the 27th day of Ligue 1. Problem is, the Marseille club has been riddled with injuries, particularly on the defensive side where Jean-Louis Gasset tinkered.

The international ceasefire has taken its toll. A real headache presented itself for coaches Jean-Louis Gasset and Ghislaine Printant. Already missing several elements, four more were injured on the return of internationals (Guay, Sir, García, Klos) to Olympique Marseille. A few days before the classic against Paris Saint-Germain (Sunday at 9 pm) at the end of the 27th day of Ligue 1, OM have been filled with absences. Defense sector is the most affected.

Merlin and Mbemba alone survived

Jonathan Kloss will be added to the long-term absences of Bamo Meite, Samuel Gigot and Amir Murillo, along with the Blues and Ulises Garcia injured. And if that wasn’t enough, Leonardo Balerdi will also miss the clash due to adductor discomfort. In preparation for the match against PSG, only Chancelle Mbemba and Quentin Merlin will remain in the professional group as defenders.

Towards the return of Sparagna?

To compensate for this absence, Jean-Louis Gasset has to tinker. Few options are available for the 70-year-old coach: midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia could be slotted into central defense alongside Chancel Mbemba. But in any case, the club will undoubtedly have to call on its reserves to complete its group, which plays in the National 3 (fifth division).

Young Imran Soglo (18 years old), trained as a midfielder, could be an option at full-back, while Stefan Sparagna (29 years old) could play his first minutes in Ligue 1 since the 2015-2016 season. Within a few weeks, the central defender moved from Nationale 2 (fourth division) to a possible start in the Clasico against PSG alongside Aubagne. Returning to the club in January to help the reserves retain their status, the former Commandery great hope could return to the highest French level, ten years after his debut under Marcelo Bielsa.

Velodrome as hope

But there are still some grounds for hope for the Olympians. Unlike previous seasons, OM is royal in the house. Despite a difficult season, the Marseille club is the only team in the French Championship still unbeaten at home (seven wins, five draws). In Europe, only Bayer Leverkusen, Liverpool, Manchester City and Real Madrid maintain this unbeaten streak in their structures.

This will not be the first Classic in which the Olympian Club will field an entirely new team. A historical example. On March 5, 2006, following a dispute regarding the number of places allocated to the club, Pep Diouf and José Añigo decided to play “Minots” and then play in CFA2 (Fifth Division). The youngsters left the Parc des Princes with a draw (0-0).

This Sunday (9 pm), the Vélodrome Stadium should break its home attendance record (65,894 spectators). Even facing an improved team, Paris will have to improve if they hope to dominate the Classic.