Marseille vs Metz
French Ligue 1
Date: Sunday, 16th October 2016
Kick-Off at 19:45 BST
Venue: Stade Velodrome, Marseille.
Marseille has struggled to find wins so far this season as the team had been winless in four of their last five assignments. They are presently at the 14th spot of the 20-team French top flight table.
Les Phocéens was held to a 1-1 draw by fellow reeling squad Angers SCO on the road at the Stade Jean-Bouin on Oct. 2, as per Sporting Life. It was actually the team's second straight unbeaten performance after they went through a three-game winless run.
The first half of the match was goalless as both squads struggled with their offensive patterns.
French winger Florian Thauvin finally broke the deadlock in the 64th minute with a left-footed shot from outside the penalty box following a brilliant individual move.
It looked like a won game for Marseille as full time was reached, but Angers midfielder Pierrick Capelle found the equalizer three minutes into stoppage time to force the draw and a share of a point in the overall standings.
Meanwhile, Metz was crushed by second-running club AS Monaco, 0-7, at their own home ground of Stade Saint-Symphorien on Oct. 1 for their second loss in their last three games, Goal reported.
Head coach Philippe Hinschberger's side was no match for Monaco as they failed to score a single goal while the visitors peppered them with shots throughout the game.
Thomas Lemar, Valere Germain, Bernardo Silva, Fabinho, and Gabriel Boschilia scored one goal apiece while Guido Carrillo had a brace to complete Les Rouges et Blancs' seven-goal masterpiece.
With the loss, Metz has now dropped to the eighth spot in the overall standings, tied on points with Lyon, Bordeaux, and Rennes but has the lowest goal difference among the four clubs.
Marseille vs Metz: Head-to-Head Stats
Marseille have a good head-to-head record against Metz and have won in each of the last 4 Ligue 1 fixtures. The latest was two seasons ago in 2014/15 season and the previous in 2007/08.
The home record also favours Marseille as they are unbeaten in the last 5, with all the 5 being wins. But Metz have managed two wins in their last 11 visits to Stade Veldrome, but their two win has to be dated back to the calendar year 2004.
Marseille vs Metz: Prediction
Marseille’s strong record at home could give them some weight-age going against Metz. Also the morale of the visitors will be low as Metz were destroyed on a 7-0 margin by Monaco in their last Ligue 1 fixture. However, one cannot rule out that newly promoted side are very unpredictable and are capable of taking points from highly ranked teams in the league. But Marseille re a side that has conceded just 1 goal at home this season, so it is good to back them to get their 5th win against Metz in all venues.
Marseille vs Metz: Betting Tips
Marseille to win at 5/11 (1.47)
Correct Score: 2-0 for home side at 7/1 (8.00).
