Olympique de Marseille welcomes Liverpool to the Orange Vélodrome for Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League league-phase clash.
Marseille smashed Angers 5-2 in their last outing in Ligue 1, to remain eight points off league leaders Lens.
Roberto De Zerbi’s side also secured victory in their last Champions League game, beating Belgian outfit Union Saint-Gilloise 3-2, and they currently sit 12th in the league-phase standings.
Liverpool were held to a disappointing 1-1 draw by relegation-threatened Burnley last time out.
However, the Reds were successful in their last Champions League outing, as they defeated Inter Milan 1-0 to put themselves on the brink of the top eight.
**Match preview**
Marseille have lost their last three Champions League games against Liverpool, most recently in the 2008/09 group stage (1-2 home, 0-1 away).
Liverpool have won just one of their last six away games against French sides in all competitions (D2 L3), though it was a 1-0 win at PSG in their most recent visit in March 2025.
Les Olympiens’ 2-1 win against Newcastle in November ended a 12-game winless run against English sides in all competitions (D3 L9). The last time they beat two different Premier League clubs in the same European campaign was in 2003/04, when they beat Newcastle and Liverpool in the UEFA Cup.
Marseille are on a run of 30 UEFA Champions League games without a draw (W8 L22), while Liverpool haven’t drawn any of their last 27 (W19 L8). It’s the two longest runs without a draw in the competition’s history.
De Zerbi’s side have won their last two Champions League games, last winning more consecutively between October and December 2010 (4).
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has scored 13 goals in major European competition for Marseille, netting three in the Champions League this term and 10 in the 2023/24 UEFA Europa League. Only Jean-Pierre Papin (23) has scored more for the club across major European competitions (excluding qualifiers).
Only Kylian Mbappé (9) has been involved in more Champions League goals than Marseille’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang this season (7). With three goals and four assists, it’s the Gabon striker’s second-best return in a single campaign in the competition after 2016/17 (7 goals, 1 assist).
**Team news**
**Olympique de Marseille**
The host will welcome back Africa Cup of Nations finalist Nayef Aguerd after falling with [Morocco to a narrow 1-0 defeat to Senegal](https://thesportstoday.com/2026/01/18/senegal-wins-afcon-2025-after-a-chaotic-final-against-morocco/) in the final, but he’s not expected to be considered for selection.
Derek Cornelius and Ruben Blanco are the only absentees with injuries.
**Liverpool**
Mohamed Salah is a doubt for the trip to France after finishing his AFCON campaign with Egypt three days ago.
Conor Bradley, Alexander Isak and Giovanni Leoni are sidelined with injuries.
**Predicted line-ups**
**Olympique de Marseille**: Gerónimo Rulli, Benjamin Pavard, Leonardo Balerdi, Facundo Medina, Matt O’Riley, Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, Timothy Weah, Emerson, Mason Greenwood, Igor Paixão, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
**Liverpool**: Alisson, Jeremie Frimpong, Ibrahima Konaté, Virgil van Dijk, Milos Kerkez, Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister, Curtis Jones, Dominik Szoboszlai, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké.