Three weeks after Marseille left the Vélodrome beaten by Paris Saint-Germain, Bruno Genesio is facing another difficult selection night. OM travel to Troyes on Sunday at 20:45 CET for the final match of Ligue 1’s sixth round, with injuries and suspension leaving their squad badly stretched.
Key takeaways
- Marseille will be without Timothy Weah after his red card in the 2-1 defeat to PSG.
- Derek Cornelius has suffered a hip injury on international duty and is not expected back before the end of the year.
- Amine Gouiri, Himad Abdelli and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg also returned from national-team duty carrying injuries.
- Ulisses Garcia was tested as a right wing-back in a friendly defeat against Montpellier.
- Marseille begin a significant four-game Ligue 1 sequence against Troyes, Angers, Le Havre and Toulouse.
Genesio must reshape his Marseille side
The PSG loss was Marseille’s fifth consecutive defeat, and the international break has brought little relief. Cornelius, Gouiri, Abdelli and Hojbjerg all picked up problems while away with their countries: a hip issue for the Canadian defender, a thigh injury for Gouiri, an ankle complaint for Abdelli and a thigh problem for Hojbjerg.
While the expected absences of Gouiri, Abdelli and Hojbjerg have yet to be clarified in terms of length, Cornelius has already been ruled out until the end of the calendar year.
There are further questions over Amine Harit, who has knee pain, and Geoffrey Kondogbia. The midfielder has not played since 30 August because of a muscle injury.
Weah’s suspension creates another immediate problem on the right side. Garcia was used in his place as a wing-back during Saturday’s friendly against Montpellier, a match Marseille lost, and Genesio could retain that solution at Troyes.
Young options could be handed their chance
Midfield could be the next area to change if Hojbjerg and Abdelli are unavailable. Tochukwu Nnadi and Nouhoum Kamissoko are candidates to form the central partnership, with Angel Gomes providing the more advanced presence.
Gouiri’s possible absence would also alter the attacking line from the PSG match. Keyliane Abdallah, one of the club’s promising young forwards, could be brought into the starting side, while Faris Moumbagna is another option for Genesio.
A possible Marseille XI at Troyes is: De Lange; Garcia, Egan-Riley, Aguerd, Emerson; Nnadi, Kamissoko, Angel Gomes; Paixao, Maupay, Abdallah.
It is a reduced Marseille group heading into a crucial spell of league fixtures. After the trip to Troyes, OM face Angers, Le Havre and Toulouse, with Genesio needing solutions quickly as the injury list continues to grow.
