Marseille v PSG: Paris side tipped to end difficult start with victory at the Velodrome

Marseille host Paris Saint-Germain at the Stade Velodrome on Sunday, 20 September, in the fifth round of the French championship, with Francois Letexier appointed as referee.

Paris Saint-Germain are expected to return to winning ways after an unconvincing opening to the season. The visitors have won only one of their first four matches, drawing two and losing one, and sit seventh in the table on five points.

That represents a disappointing beginning for the club of Matvey Safonov, who have won almost every competition they have entered over the past two years. Paris Saint-Germain have scored six goals and conceded six so far, leaving them with a goal difference of zero.

Marseille have also made a difficult start. The Provencal club are 13th after collecting three points from four games. Their record consists of one win and three defeats, while they have scored six goals and allowed six, also giving them a goal difference of zero.

Across their past 20 matches, Marseille have recorded 10 victories, one draw and nine defeats. Their win rate over that period stands at 50%.

Head-to-head record

The two sides have met 44 times. Paris Saint-Germain hold a clear advantage in the fixture, winning 30 of those games, which represents 68.2% of the meetings.

Marseille have prevailed in 10 matches, or 22.7%, while the remaining four encounters ended in draws, accounting for 9.1% of the total.

Paris Saint-Germain have also had the stronger record in the first half of these games, winning 22 of the 44 matches before the interval. That equates to 50% of the meetings.

The overall goal figures listed for the fixture show Marseille with 73 goals and Paris Saint-Germain with 55. More than 2.5 goals were scored in 29 of the 44 head-to-head matches, or 66%.

Prediction

Paris Saint-Germain’s dominance in this fixture is the main factor behind the forecast. They have won 30 of the 44 previous meetings, although they have yet to find consistent momentum this season.

The prediction is that the visitors will finally produce a positive result and claim the points at the Stade Velodrome.

Predicted result: Marseille 0-1 Paris Saint-Germain