Interim Marseille boss Jacques Abardonado insisted his “wounded” Marseille facet are out for revenge of their first sport since parting firm with Roberto De Zerbi.
De Zerbi, who led Marseille to a second-placed end in Ligue 1 final season, left the membership by mutual consent on Monday following a 5-0 defeat to champions Paris Saint-Germain.
Their defeat at Parc des Princes was Marseille’s third Ligue 1 loss of their final seven matches (W3 D1), as many as of their earlier 19 video games within the prime flight.
It was a outcome that left Marseille 12 factors behind PSG and fourth within the desk forward of their conflict with Strasbourg at Orange Velodrome this Saturday.
Regardless of being sacked by Rennes earlier within the week, Habib Beye is reportedly prime of Marseille’s shortlist for the membership’s subsequent everlasting head coach.
And although a choice is but to be made on De Zerbi’s successor, Abardonado intends to maintain the give attention to the job in hand.
“I do know the state of affairs as a result of I’ve been there earlier than. I’m dealing with as much as it. I discovered a wounded group,” Abardonado informed reporters.
“We tried to convey some positivity with easy issues so as to method the match towards Strasbourg in the very best means.
“The coach [De Zerbi] was great; he accepted me into his interior circle of assistants. We’ll see tomorrow what I’m going to vary.
“We’re going to take to the pitch with a successful angle. We’re all hungry for revenge; we’ll resist our obligations, me first after which the gamers.”
Official Assertion from Olympique de Marseille
https://t.co/0uqXFuPOah pic.twitter.com/v6DKdVPgP6
— Olympique de Marseille (@OM_English) February 11, 2026
Abardonado did, nonetheless, place some blame on the Marseille gamers in that their poor type resulted in De Zerbi, who has since been linked to the vacant Tottenham job, leaving.
“They’re accountable, simply as all of us are. They really feel accountable and need to make amends,” Abardonado added.
“We’ve got to win the following match. They need to make up for it. They’ve that need, they need to make an effort and there shall be a response.”
However most significantly, the non permanent Marseille boss desires to see a response to the humiliating defeat to Luis Enrique’s facet in Le Classique final day out.
Certainly, it was Marseille’s heaviest defeat in all competitions since August 2017 at Monaco in Ligue 1 (1-6).
“We’ve got to, the championship isn’t over. We’ve got a French Cup quarter-final. We’ve got to react and query ourselves day-after-day,” Abardonado mentioned.
“The gamers know they’ve to reply. The gamers need to take pleasure in themselves. You possibly can all the time make up for it in soccer. We’ve got to maneuver ahead.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Marseille – Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg might play his fiftieth Ligue 1 sport, and he shall be eager to mark the event with a victory.
Since his arrival at Marseille, he has made essentially the most ahead passes within the top-flight (1,128). He additionally ranks second for line-breaking passes over that interval (669, behind Vitinha with 743).
Strasbourg – Martial Godo
Martial Godo scored his eleventh objective in all competitions this season with Strasbourg towards Le Havre final day out, with solely Joaquin Panichelli (13) doing higher on the membership.
Amongst African gamers taking part in for a membership within the prime 5 European leagues, solely Antoine Semenyo (14) and Serhou Guirassy (13) have performed higher than Godo.
MATCH PREDICTION: MARSEILLE WIN
Marseille haven’t misplaced any of their final 20 dwelling video games towards Strasbourg in all competitions (W11 D9), however they’ve drawn their final three such encounters.
Nonetheless, they’ve misplaced three of their final seven Ligue 1 matches (W3 D1), as many as that they had of their earlier 19 (W13 D3), which finally resulted in De Zerbi’s dismissal.
However at Orange Velodrome, they’ve been a pressure to be reckoned with. Marseille have gained 10 of their 15 dwelling matches within the 2025-26 season in all competitions (D2 L3), as many as within the 2024-25 season (D5 L3).
Strasbourg, in the meantime, have misplaced six of their final 11 league matches (W3 D2), as many defeats as of their earlier 31 video games within the competitors mixed (W19 D6).
They’ve additionally gained simply one in every of their final eight away matches in Ligue 1 (D2 L5), a 4-1 victory towards Lille on 25 January, they usually face a facet subsequent who they’ve struggled towards.
Certainly, Strasbourg have conceded extra Ligue 1 objectives towards Marseille than some other staff (171). They’ve additionally saved only one clear sheet of their final 17 top-flight video games towards this weekend’s opponents (32 objectives conceded).
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Marseille – 54.7%
Draw – 22.3%
Strasbourg – 23%
