Real Madrid v Marseille: Line-ups, stats and preview
The lowdown on Real Madrid vs Marseille
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Real Madrid v Marseille match preview
Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni knows more than most of his teammates about Marseille because of his five encounters with them, losing three times and winning twice with former clubs Bordeaux and Monaco.
“Many people have asked me for tickets to come and see the game,” said the France midfielder, who scored in Monaco’s 3-1 home win over OM in January 2021.
“As a Frenchman and a Real Madrid fan, I’m really looking forward to this competition.”
Striker Kylian Mbappe scored his fourth goal in Madrid’s four games this season as the LaLiga leaders won 2-1 at Real Sociedad on Saturday.
“We know he hasn’t been able to win the Champions League yet, and that’s a club goal,” Tchouameni said of Mbappe.
“Kylian always wants to win and we’re going to try to do it together. We have to be ready physically and mentally.”
Marseille return to the Champions League for the first time since 2022/23 after finishing second in manager Roberto De Zerbi’s first season.
Seventh in Ligue 1, they have won two and lost two of their four matches following their 4-0 home victory over third-bottom Lorient on Friday.
“We have little time,” De Zerbi said of his squad’s preparations, via L’Equipe. “We have to go there with humility.
“Real Madrid aren’t just anyone. But [we] also [travel] with ambition. The club has a history in this competition.
“Our shirt carries a lot of weight in the Champions League. The club, the city, the public impose ambition on us.”
Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain visit Marseille on Sunday. “These are two important matches,” De Zerbi said of the week in store. “The season is moving forward.”
Madrid v Marseille team news
Madrid centre-back Antonio Rudiger could miss much of the rest of the year with a quad injury, while left-back Ferland Mendy is also out.
“I keep a close eye on the youth academy because it’s very close by,” manager Xabi Alonso said of losing Rudiger.
“I talk to [reserve team manager Alvaro] Arbeloa and [their players] often come up with us, but we also have players in the team who can fill that position, such as [Raul] Asencio, David [Alaba], Aurelien, and even [left-back] Alvaro [Carreras] could play.
“It’s a shame about Rudiger. I don’t know why I said [he was fine], then he got injured in training. I’ll have to stop talking.”
The good news for Alonso is that midfielder Eduardo Camavinga and forward Jude Bellingham have returned to Madrid’s squad following injuries.
Morocco defender Nayef Aguerd scored on his Marseille debut against Lorient but has not travelled because of concussion protocols.
Amine Gouiri was substituted before half-time and is a doubt with a shoulder problem but fellow forward Igor Paixao returned from injury as a substitute on Friday.
Midfielder Amine Harit joined Istanbul Basaksehir on a season-long loan last week.
Real Madrid v Marseille predicted lineups
Real Madrid starting XI: Thibaut Courtois, Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, Dean Huijsen, Alvaro Carreras, Brahim Diaz, Aurelien Tchouameni, Arda Guler, Dani Ceballos, Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe
Marseille starting XI: Jeffrey de Lange, Amir Murillo, Benjamin Pavard, Nayef Aguerd, Facundo Medina, Mason Greenwood, Angel Gomes, Bilal Nadir, Geoffrey Kondogbia, Timothy Weah, Amine Gouiri
How to watch Madrid v Marseille: Live stream, TV channel
The match kicks off at 20:00 BST (15:00 ET / 12:00 PT) on Tuesday and is being shown live in the UK on TNT Sports 1.
TNT Sports costs £29.99 a month through discovery+, which includes Eurosport and entertainment.
Real Madrid v Marseille stats
- In 11 of the last 12 Real Madrid matches in the Champions League, the sum of goals was over 2.5
- In 11 of the last 12 Real Madrid home matches in the Champions League, the sum of goals was over 2.5
- Real Madrid have won 7 of the last 9 matches in the Champions League and the sum of goals was over 2.5
- Real Madrid have won 7 of the last 9 matches in the Champions League while scoring more than 1.5 goals
- In 7 of the last 9 Real Madrid matches the sum of goals was over 2.5
- In 20 of the last 22 Marseille matches in the Champions League, the sum of goals was under 3.5
- Marseille have lost 9 of the last 11 away matches in the Champions League while scoring less than 1.5 goals
- In 14 of the last 16 Marseille away matches in the Champions League, the sum of goals was under 3.5
- Marseille have lost 9 of the last 11 away matches in the Champions League and the sum of goals was under 3.5
- Marseille have lost 5 of the last 7 away matches in the Champions League while scoring less than 0.5 goals
Madrid v Marseille prediction
Madrid had a mixed league phase last season but won three of their four home games, as well as their subsequent two in the knockout stage before losing to Arsenal.
Their perfect record in four games this season suggests they will narrowly beat a dangerous Marseille side who are yet to achieve consecutive wins in 2025/26, perhaps 2-1.
France captain Mbappe has a formidable record against OM, winning 14 and drawing two of his 16 meetings with them while scoring 10 times, although he has only netted in one of his last five such games.