Marseille vs. Liverpool: Preview, Predictions and Lineups

Liverpool’s Champions League campaign resumes in the south of France on Wednesday night, as they take on Marseille in Gameweek 7 of the league phase.

Despite somehwhat steadying the ship, Arne Slot remains under pressure on Merseyside and the sudden availability of Xabi Alonso has increased calls from some factions of the fanbase to part ways with the Dutch manager.

The Reds are ninth in the league phase table and among the contenders to secure passage into the round of 16 while avoiding the playoffs. However, they head into this fixture having won just one of their previous five games in all competitions and drawn each of their last four Premier League outings.

A 1–1 draw with Burnley on Saturday means Liverpool have failed to beat any of the newly promoted teams at Anfield for the first time since 1981.

Marseille started 2026 with a pair of defeats, but have now won back-to-back games and scored 14 goals in the process. They’re an enthralling watch with Roberto De Zerbi at the helm, but ill-discipline has cost them at crucial junctures this season.

In Europe, the Ligue 1 side have won three of their six league phase outings. Consecutive wins leaves them 16th in the table and likely to secure a playoff spot.

What Time Does Marseille vs. Liverpool Kick-Off?

Location: Marseille, France
Stadium: Orange Velodrome
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 21
Kick-off Time: 8 p.m. GMT / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT
Referee: Slavko Vinčić (SVN)
VAR: Christian Dingert (GER)

Marseille vs. Liverpool Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)

Marseille: 2 wins
Liverpool: 3 wins
Draws: 0

Last meeting: Liverpool 1–0 Marseille (Nov. 26, 2008)—Champions League

Current Form (All Competitions)

Marseille	Liverpool
Angers 2–5 Marseille - 17–1–26	Liverpool 1–1 Burnley - 17–1–26
Bayeux 0–9 Marseille - 13–1–26	Liverpool 4–1 Barnsley - 12–1–26
PSG 2–2 (4–1p) Marseille - 8–1–26	Arsenal 0–0 Liverpool - 8–1–26
Marseille 0–2 Nantes - 4–1–26	Fulham 2–2 Liverpool - 4–1–26
FBB01 0–6 Marseille - 21–12–25	Liverpool 0–0 Leeds - 1–1–26

How to Watch Marseille vs. Liverpool on TV, Live Stream

Country	TV channel/live stream
United Kingdom	TNT Sports 1, discovery+, discovery+ App
United States	Paramount+, TUDN USA, UniMás, TUDN.com, Univision NOW, TUDN App
Canada	DAZN Canada, fuboTV Canada
Mexico	Max Mexico

MORE: Full list of Champions League broadcasters around the world

Marseille Team News

The hosts have a relatively clean bill of health heading into Wednesday’s game, with summer addition Benjamin Pavard the only injury doubt. The French defender, who reached the final of the Champions League with Inter last season, is dealing with a knock.

De Zerbi only used Igor Paixão off the bench in Saturday’s emphatic win, and the Brazilian is a sure bet to come back into the starting lineup, given his form in Europe this term. The former Feyenoord winger is Marseille’s leading scorer in the league phase with four goals. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, meanwhile, has seven goal contributions.

Those two should join former Manchester United star Mason Greenwood in attack on Wednesday night.

Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, Matt O’Riley, Nayef Aguerd and Emerson Palmieri are other ex-Premier League figures set to be included in De Zerbi’s XI.

Marseille Predicted Lineup vs. Liverpool

Marseille predicted lineup vs. Liverpool (3-4-3): Rulli; Murillo, Aguerd, Medina; Weah, Højbjerg, O’Riley, Emerson; Greenwood, Aubameyang, Paixão.

Liverpool Team News

Mohamed Salah is back from AFCON. | Molly Darlington/Getty Images

Conor Bradley is the latest Liverpool star to pick up an injury that will rule them out for the remainder of the season, with the full back joining Alexander Isak and Giovanni Leoni on the long-term injury list.

Arne Slot has also been unable to call upon young midfielder Stefan Bajcetic this term.

There are fresh concerns over Ibrahima Konaté’s status for Wednesday’s game after he missed Liverpool’s open training session at Kirkby. He’s reportedly returned to his homeland for personal reasons, and it’s not yet known whether he’ll play a part in Marseille.

If Konaté misses out, Joe Gomez will likely partner Virgil van Dijk. Alexis Mac Allister may also come into Slot’s midfield.

Crucially, Mohamed Salah has returned to training after Egypt’s fourth-place finish at the Africa Cup of Nations, and he’ll likely come back into the XI down the right-hand side.

Liverpool Predicted Lineup vs. Marseille

Liverpool predicted lineup vs. Marseille (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Frimpong, Gomez, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Szoboszlai, Wirtz; Ekitiké.

Marseille vs. Liverpool Score Prediction

A 12-game unbeaten run has struggled to encourage a fanbase that has lost faith in the man who oversaw their Premier League title triumph last season. Liverpool, after a wretched autumn, are a stodgy and functional outfit primed for picking off on Wednesday night.

Marseille have already beaten Newcastle United at the Vélodrome this season, and De Zerbi’s meticulously coached build-up should allow the hosts more than a foothold in this one. There’s scope for Slot’s flawed out-of-possession game to be exploited by the Italian in the home dugout, with Marseille a tough team to contain if they’re allowed to play vertically into their dynamic attackers.

Unlike recent Liverpool games, this could be an entertaining, back-and-forth affair, but the visitors’ unbeaten run is at risk of drawing to a close.