Marseille vs Lyon Prediction 02.02.2025 | Ligue 1

• Competition: France - Ligue 1
• Date: Sunday, 2nd, February 2025
• Kickoff: 19:45 UK / 20:45 CEST
• Venue: Stade Velodrome (Marseille)

Round 20 of France’s Ligue 1 will conclude with a high-stakes showdown as Olympique Marseille welcomes Olympique Lyon to the Stade Velodrome on Sunday.

The start of the new calendar year was marked in perfect fashion as they dismantled Le Havre 5-1 and scraped a 2-1 victory away at Rennes, only for a sharp dip in form to follow which, among other things, saw Marseille crash out of the Coupe de France against LOSC Lille on penalties. The cup elimination seemed to disrupt the rhythm of Roberto De Zerbi’s side, as they struggled to earn a 1-1 draw against Strasbourg on their own ground, before experiencing their first bitter defeat of 2025 last week when OGC Nice comprehensively outclassed them 0-2, increasing their gap behind league leaders PSG to a daunting 10 points.

A sluggish start to the new calendar year, which included a shocking elimination from the Coupe de France at the hands of amateur side Bourgoin Jallieu after a penalty shootout, ultimately led to Pierre Sage being dismissed from his position as head coach. In the final hours of January, Les Gones named Paulo Fonseca as their new head coach, but the Portuguese tactician arrives at a very delicate moment, as OL have failed to secure a win in any of their last six matches across all formats, which has slowed their pursuit of a European competition spot.

Marseille vs Lyon Betting Tips: UNDER 3.5

With the home advantage, Marseille understandably carries the label of favorite, but with OM and OL's recent displays being anything but good, we reckon it will be a cautious contest where goal-scoring opportunities will be kept to a minimum. Although they are the second-highest scorers in Ligue 1 with 40 goals, Les Olympiens have lately lacked attacking flair, netting only twice in their last three games, one of which came in the dying moments, while their 1-1 draw against Strasbourg was salvaged thanks to Greenwood's precise penalty strike. One possible consolation for OM is that Lyon is facing difficulties in finding the net as well, scoring just twice in their last four games, two of which ending scoreless, and their 3-0 thrashing of Angers on December 7 was the last time they netted more than once in a Ligue 1 match. Given that both teams are out of form, coupled with their toothless attacks, we believe a rather dull contest awaits us, one where there won’t be any fireworks, and a single goal could be enough to separate the two sides.