Marseille vs Monaco

Stade Velodrome forms the backdrop for a mouth-watering Ligue 1 meeting between third-placed Olympique Marseille and fourth-placed Monaco.

Marseille’s outstanding six-game winning league streak, accompanied by 17 goals tallied, has moved them only five points within leaders PSG and reignited their hopes of lifting their first Ligue 1 title since 2009/10. The last time they won more consecutive top-flight matches was in 2014 (8), but manager Igor Tudor can draw confidence from his side’s free-scoring form in the post-World Cup period to equal that feat. Tudor’s men have netted a league joint-high 13 goals since the Ligue 1 resumption in December, scoring a whopping nine goals in two home league outings in that stretch. Adding to this sentiment, ‘Les Olympiens’ have clocked seven more points after 19 league games this season (42) than they had in their 2009/10 title-winning campaign (35).

As for Monaco, an overwhelming 7-1 home triumph over promoted Ajaccio last time out maintained their almost-perfect Ligue 1 form after the mid-season break (W3, D1), helping them stay within a five-point distance of a coveted third place. One of the most exciting teams in watch in Ligue 1, ‘Los Monégasques’ have seen four of their last five league fixtures produce over 3.5 goals and both teams scoring. They’re likely to at least hold up their end of the bargain at the Velodrome after bagging 2+ goals on their last six Ligue 1 travels. But that won’t necessarily give them an all-important three points, especially considering they’ve failed to win any of their six previous top-flight encounters against teams currently in the top-seven positions (D3, L3).