Olympique de Marseille look to bounce back from a disappointing defeat as they host FC Metz at the Stade Vélodrome on Friday night, with a key attacking change expected to their lineup.
After serving a suspension during last Sunday's 2-1 loss to AS Monaco, Mason Greenwood is set for an immediate return to the starting eleven. His availability is a significant boost for manager Habib Beye, likely pushing Hamed Troaré back to the substitutes' bench as Marseille seeks to reignite their attacking threat.
The squad, however, must cope with a fresh defensive concern. CJ Egan-Riley, who started against Monaco, sustained a thigh injury while tracking Folarin Balogun and has been ruled out of the Metz clash. This paves the way for Leonardo Balerdi to slot back into the defense, while Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg continues as captain. The absences of Geoffrey Kondogbia and Nayef Aguerd also persist for Les Phocéens.
With these adjustments, Marseille's predicted starting eleven shapes up as follows: Geronimo Rulli; Facundo Medina, Leonardo Balerdi, Benjamin Pavard; Igor Paixao, Quinten Timber, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Timothy Weah; Amine Gouiri, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Mason Greenwood.
