Three weeks of marathon

This is a pace that big clubs are used to and which, as Roberto De Zerbi likes to repeat, must become part of everyday life for Olympique de Marseille. Between Saturday 18 October and Saturday 8 November, a period of 22 days, OM will play seven matches in Ligue 1 McDonald's and the UEFA Champions League.

This is a pace that the club has already experienced several times in its history, but it will be the first time with Roberto De Zerbi at the helm. The autumn marathon begins on Saturday 18 October with a home game against Le Havre. Fourteenth in the table with six points, the Normans have won only one match this season, on 31 August against Nice, and have taken only one point away from home after seven matchdays.

Our Olympians will then go on to play two away games in one week. The first will take them to Lisbon. In the Portuguese capital, they will face Sporting CP in the third matchday of the UEFA Champions League group stage. The Portuguese side beat Kairat Almaty 4-1 at home before losing 2-1 away to Napoli. The two teams have the same number of points, but OM are ahead thanks to a better goal difference. The José Alvalade stadium holds fond memories for Marseille, who won 2-0 on their only previous visit there on 12 October 2022 in the fourth matchday of the Champions League.

After Lisbon, they head to northern France for a trip to Lens. In the great atmosphere of the Bollaërt Stadium, Lens, currently sixth with 13 points, will be looking to confirm their good start to the season, led in particular by former Olympian Florian Thauvin.

Four days after Lens, Roberto De Zerbi's players will return to the Orange Vélodrome for the only league match scheduled during the week.

In the middle of the All Saints' Day school holidays, OM will host Angers SCO on Wednesday 29 October at 9.05 p.m. Angers have only one win and two draws in seven games and are currently in the relegation zone.

The next stop on the marathon is in Burgundy. On Saturday 1 November, OM will travel to the Stade de l'Abbé-Deschamps to face another low-ranked club, AJ Auxerre, who are in the relegation play-off zone with 6 points. However, the Burgundians beat our Olympians twice last season, at home and away.

It will then be time to tackle the final week of the marathon, which includes two home games. On Wednesday 5 November at 9.05 p.m., Atalanta Bergamo will visit the Orange Vélodrome for the fourth matchday of the UEFA Champions League. Like OM and Sporting CP, Atalanta Bergamo is one of 13 teams with 3 points after two games. The Italians lost 4-0 away to PSG before winning 2-1 at home against Club Brugge, whom OM will face on matchday 8 in January 2026.

The second home game will take place on Saturday 8 November against Brest. This match will conclude three hectic weeks during which Roberto De Zerbi and his men will play seven games, including three away games. In addition to performance, recovery will undoubtedly be the watchword during this high-intensity period.