Marseille await Sampaoli in hope of turning round troubled season

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Marseille followers are awaiting the arrival of Jorge Sampaoli within the hope the fiery Argentine would possibly revive a staff that has slumped down the Ligue 1 desk whereas the membership is in disaster behind the scenes.

The previous European champions lie in seventh place as they put together to host bitter rivals Lyon on Sunday, nearly a month after Andre Villas-Boas was eliminated as coach following a row over switch coverage.

They’ve received simply as soon as in 9 league video games, jeopardising their possibilities of qualifying for Europe subsequent season.

In the meantime, the membership continues to be reeling from the violent January assault on their coaching floor by a number of hundred protesting supporters, considered one of whom this week acquired a three-month jail sentence whereas 11 others have been handed suspended jail phrases. Organised supporters teams are additionally calling for unpopular president Jacques-Henri Eyraud to resign.

Into this unstable ambiance is predicted to stroll Sampaoli, the 60-year-old Argentine who coached his nation on the 2018 World Cup and this week introduced his departure from Brazilian membership Atletico Mineiro.

Sampaoli beforehand received the Copa America with Chile in 2015 and spent a season in Spain with Sevilla.

His explosive character might make him both the proper match for a membership seemingly all the time on the verge of a disaster, or somebody who could solely add to the sense of perpetual turmoil.

Marseille’s earlier expertise with an Argentine coach, below Marcelo Bielsa in 2014/15, continues to be fondly remembered on the Velodrome regardless of outcomes tailing away after a superb begin.

The rivalry between Marseille and Lyon has grown during the last decade with the 2 golf equipment usually competing with one another for Champions League qualification simply as Paris Saint-Germain have dominated in Ligue 1.

Nonetheless Lyon are actually locked in a four-way battle for the title together with Lille, PSG and Monaco.

Rudi Garcia’s staff come into the weekend in second place, three factors behind leaders Lille and a degree above PSG in third.

One to look at: Laurent Koscielny

Bordeaux should have hoped the arrival of such a excessive calibre participant as Laurent Koscielny in 2019 would assist the six-time champions compete in the direction of the highest of Ligue 1 once more.

Nonetheless, after back-to-back bottom-half finishes they discover themselves once more struggling in mid-table on this marketing campaign.

They play Metz on Saturday having taken only one level from their final 5 video games, a depressing run that led to captain Koscielny, the previous Arsenal and France star, launching a scathing assault on his team-mates on Thursday.

“The ambiance is just not nice, actually not nice. There are such a lot of gamers coming to the top of their contracts, who wish to depart, and who it’s tough to really feel any nice want to work with,” admitted the 35-year-old defender, who spent 9 years at Arsenal and received 51 France caps.

“We’re on the finish of a cycle and there must be a clear-out,” he mentioned, including that he “struggles” with a few of his team-mates and isn’t in a cheerful place on the membership.

“I’m undoubtedly not going to say I’m joyful, aside from off the sphere with my household.

“There are good guys right here. Some usually are not so good however there are some good guys and I fear for them.”

Key stats

6 – The variety of defeats suffered this season by PSG, already probably the most they’ve suffered in an entire marketing campaign since dropping eight occasions in 2010/11, the final season earlier than the Qatari takeover.

11 – Monaco’s win in Paris final weekend stretched their unbeaten streak to 11 video games.

2 – Marseille have received simply two of their final 20 league conferences with Lyon.

Fixtures (Kick-offs GMT)

Friday

Rennes v Good (2000)

Saturday

Bordeaux v Metz (1200), Dijon v Paris Saint-Germain (1600)

Sunday

Monaco v Brest (1200), Angers v Lens, Lorient v Saint-Etienne, Nimes v Nantes, Reims v Montpellier (all 1400), Lille v Strasbourg (1600), Marseille v Lyon (2000)

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