Liverpool and Marseille will go head-to-head at the Stade Velodrome in a Champions League meeting on Wednesday.
Following on from a disappointing 1-1 draw with Burnley on Saturday, Reds fans really need a lift this week.
There is little left to play for in the Premier League this term, and Arne Slot’s future looks to have been decided already.
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The only saving grace for the campaign would be a good run in the Champions League, but improvements are needed there as well.
Liverpool could have appointed De Zerbi! He’s lost the same number of games as Slot in 18 months!
Roberto De Zerbi during Bayeux FC v Olympique de Marseille - French Cup 2025/2026
Credit: Franco Arland/Getty Images
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Liverpool face Marseille on January 21, knowing they have to win in order to climb into the top eight and avoid dropping into the bottom half of the table.
Roberto De Zerbi’s side have had a decent campaign to date, and had things gone differently in the summer, they could have had one of the Reds’ senior players on their books this term.
Marseille wanted Kostas Tsimikas
Signed from Olympiacos in 2020, Kostas Tsimikas has never been a regular starter for Liverpool.
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But the addition of Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth in the previous transfer window meant the left-back had to look for a new club this summer.
In the end, he opted to join Serie A outfit AS Roma on a season-long loan deal.
But prior to that deal being confirmed, it was reported that De Zerbi wanted Tsimikas at Marseille.
The Ligue 1 outfit’s interest was mooted in August, just weeks before his eventual Roma move – a transfer he may now regret.
Score predictions for Liverpool’s trip to Marseille? 👇
The Reds are 2/2 at the Stade Vélodrome 👀
Florian Wirtz for Liverpool
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Kostas Tsimikas’ Liverpool future
The full-back was dubbed ‘brilliant’ by Michael Owen during his time at Anfield, but his stint in the Serie A really hasn’t gone to plan so far.
Reports in late December said that Tsimikas was no longer in the Roma manager’s plans.
He has played just 380 minutes in the league this term and is yet to complete 90 minutes in the top tier of Italian football.
It has since emerged that Tsimikas could return to Liverpool at the end of 2025/26, with Roma not having an option to make his deal permanent.
Whether he is able to fight for his place after making his way back to Anfield remains to be seen, but so far, it’s been a tough 2025/26 campaign for the defender, who may have fared much better had he joined Marseille instead.
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