FC Metz vs Olympique de Marseille Prediction 18 August 2023

On Friday evening, Metz and Marseille will measure their strength in the opening match of the Ligue 1 matchday 2.

Having returned to the elite after a year's absence, Metz immediately were steamrolled by Rennes (1:5) and dropped to the very bottom of the standings. On the other hand, the Maroons looked very good in summer friendly matches with Racing Luxembourg (3:0), Séraing United (2:1), Troyes (3:0), Standard (2:2), Amiens (0:0) and Heerenveen (1:0).

Marseille started the 2023/24 season with a real disappointment as they failed to clear the Panathinaikos barrier (0-1, 2-1) in the Champions League qualification. But in Ligue 1, things are still going well for the Provencals, although the 2-1 victory over Reims turned out to be far from the easiest.

We believe that Marseille, playing on two fronts, are unlikely to show their best qualities in the next league meeting. In this case, Metz have a good chance of at least avoiding defeat.