Roberto De Zerbi has urged his Marseille team to make up for their midweek Champions League defeat by beating Ligue 1 leaders Lens on Saturday. 

De Zerbi watched on as his team were comfortably swatted aside 3-0 by Premier League champions Liverpool on Wednesday, leaving them 19th in the 36-team standings. 

Marseille know a win over Club Brugge in their final league phase clash will seal a place in the play-offs, but a return to domestic action is first up for De Zerbi's side. 

They welcome surprise top-flight leaders Lens to Stade Velodrome, with Pierre Sage's side a point clear of defending champions Paris Saint-Germain in the table. 

Marseille sit eight points adrift of Lens, but are still assigned a 0.9% chance of lifting the title according to the Opta supercomputer.

"They are a team that deserves to be at the top of the table," De Zerbi told reporters.

"We have the qualities, sometimes we show them, sometimes less so. It's up to us to play the game the right way.

"If we win, we'll be back to within five points. That's what we're aiming for in tomorrow's match. If we win, we'll be five points behind with all the matches still to play.  

"Three points against the leaders. To make up for Wednesday's poor performance and prepare for the next game, which will be decisive. We are coming off two difficult days."

One way in which Marseille have gone about trying to improve their title chances is with signings, with two new faces introduced to supporters ahead of their clash with Lens. 

Arsenal youngster Ethan Nwaneri has joined on loan for the rest of the season, while Quinten Timber has also arrived on a permanent deal from Feyenoord. 

Timber, the twin brother of Nwaneri's Arsenal club-mate, Jurrien, had been a key figure for Feyenoord this term.

Indeed, across his 17 top-flight appearances, only Anis Hadj Moussa (eight), Sem Steijn (nine) and Ayase Ueda (19) have more goal contributions than Timber (six). 

And the 24-year-old has his eyes firmly set on winning silverware.

"That's a long answer," Timber said when asked about his ambitions. "I spoke with the coach, he told me about the team, that he wanted to win every competition. 

"We're going to play against the leaders, we want to win everything.

"I'm going to push my team-mates to win games, that's my mentality and that of the players who are already here."

De Zerbi was also thrilled to welcome the Netherlands international into his ranks.

"He's ready to start because he's been playing all the time," De Zerbi added.

"I expect him to be a quality midfielder who can deliver in terms of both quality and quantity. He's arrived with enthusiasm. He's a very important player."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Marseille – Mason Greenwood

After failing to get on the scoresheet against Liverpool, Greenwood will be hoping to continue his fine form in Ligue 1.

The 24-year-old is the top scorer in Ligue 1 this season with 12 goals, but he has only scored one goal in 526 minutes against the current top eight teams in the division (one goal every 76 minutes against other teams).

This single goal was, however, scored against Lens in October, though Marseille were still on the end of a 2-1 defeat.

Lens – Mamadou Sangare

Should Lens want to limit free-scoring Marseille to a few chances in the final third, they will need Mamadou Sangare to be in top form.

He has attempted (51) and won (32) more tackles than any other player in Ligue 1 this season.

MATCH PREDICTION: MARSEILLE WIN

Marseille have lost seven of their 11 Ligue 1 matches against Lens since they were promoted in 2020-21 (W3 D1), only losing more top-flight games against PSG over the same period (eight).

De Zerbi’s side have also failed to score in three of their five home Ligue 1 games against Lens since the visitors’ last promotion, as many times as they did in their previous 46 encounters.

Marseille have scored 2.2 goals per game in Ligue 1 since De Zerbi took charge, the highest average for an OM manager in the top flight over the last 50 years (minimum five games).

Lens, meanwhile, have 43 points after 18 Ligue 1 matches in 2025-26 (W14 D1 L3). Excluding PSG, only Lyon (44 in 2005-06 and 49 in 2006-07) and Nice (43 in 2016-17) have reached at least this tally at this stage of a top-flight campaign in the last 40 seasons, counting three points for a win.

They have also won each of their last four away games in Ligue 1, which is the longest current run and their longest winning streak away from home in the competition's history.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Marseille – 46.7%

Draw – 24.6%

Lens – 28.7%

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