Our prediction for this Ligue 1 match:
There will be fireworks when Olympique Marseille and Olympique Lyon go head to head in the Ligue 1 derby on Sunday evening. OM came from behind to share the spoils with Nantes at the weekend, with Dmitri Payet scoring the equalizer, but that did not help the team regain their spot in top five. Marseille are eager to represent France in European competitions next term, and we are positive that they will go for a win in Sunday’s derby.
Right-back Sakai is banned for the match, while Argentine attacker Benedetto remains on the sidelines through suspension. Florian Thauvin is likely to miss the game with a knee injury. Les Gones, on the other hand, defeated Brest 3-2 in their last league match, but given their shaky defence, both teams to score betting option should be considered. Defender Marcelo should be the only absentee in the away team.
Highlighted Player (Kevin Strootman):
After starting his senior career at Sparta Rotterdam, Kevin Strootman joined fellow Dutch side Utrecht in 2011. The defensive midfielder, who was born on February 13, 1990 in Ridderkerk, Netherlands, then moved to PSV where he established himself as a first-team regular. Strootman was then spotted by AS Roma scouts and in 2013 he decided to take a step forward in his career by joining the Giallorossi.
On March 9, 2014, the Dutch footballer sustained a serious knee injury that made him miss the remainder of the 2013/2014 Serie A season. He missed the 2014 FIFA World Cup as well, but he returned to contention on November 9, 2014. Kevin Strootman played for Roma until August 28 when he signed a five-year contract with Olympique Marseille.
Speaking of his international career, Strootman made his Netherlands debut against Austria in 2011 and he scored his first ever goal for the Dutch national team in Euro 2012 qualifier against Finland. Kevin Strootman’s preferred foot is right.
Highlighted Team (Lyon):
Commonly referred to as Lyon, Olympique Lyonnais is the French club which play their games at the Parc Olimpique Lyonnais with a capacity just a pinch short of 60,000. Lyon is one of the most popular clubs in France with a vast fan base on par with Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique de Marseille.
The club achieved moderate success during the 1960s and 1970s led by the likes of Bernard Lacombe and Jean Djorkaeff, while the golden era of the French side came at the start of the new millennium when Lyon began to achieve greater success both in France and on the international level.
It was not until 2002 that Lyon won their first ever Ligue 1 title which sparked an ongoing national record-breaking streak of seven successive titles. During that time Lyon were regular participants of the UEFA Champions League. The French club reached quarter-finals on two occasions, while they even played in the semi-finals in the 2009-10 season.