- Liverpool have won two and lost one of their three away games in the 2025-26 Champions League, conceding 0.67 goals per match.
- Marseille have won two and lost one of their three home games in the 2025-26 Champions League, averaging 2.00 goals per fixture scored and 0.67 per fixture conceded.
De Zerbi vs Slot: A tactical battle of the minds
Olympique Marseille’s Roberto De Zerbi and Liverpool’s Arne Slot lead two very different approaches to the game, and it should be interesting to see how their teams match up in Wednesday’s Champions League showdown. De Zerbi’s style is bold, based on possession and a fluid, shape-shifting style of attacking football, while Slot has brought a calm and structured approach to Anfield that prioritises players’ positional responsibilities.
Slot’s approach has Liverpool looking better in the defensive third, with the Dutchman utilising inverted full-backs, a double pivot and trigger-based pressing to control the tempo. De Zerbi, meanwhile, has turned Marseille into a high-tempo side that likes to push numbers forward, with Aubameyang as the creative engine, who has five assists in six Champions League appearances. Szoboszlai is Liverpool’s top Champions League scorer with three goals in six matches.
Both of these teams have players that can create chances and find the back of the net, with Wirtz finding his goal-scoring shoes in recent weeks, netting three of Liverpool’s last five goals, while Paixao, with four goals in six matches in this competition, is a consistent threat for Marseille. With both teams looking to chase three points to progress in the Champions League, it could be a very open game.
Liverpool to edge a tight match
With 12 points from six games, Liverpool sit in ninth position, while Marseille, in 16th, have nine points and will be looking to overtake the Reds in the table. Both teams have a few issues to address, but Liverpool are more likely to edge this encounter given their unbeaten form, bigger points total and their slight advantage in the odds.
Backing Liverpool at 47/50 looks the smart move, especially when you consider Marseille have one home defeat in this season’s competition and De Zerbi’s side is yet to match the Reds in terms of overall quality. Marseille are a very decent price, too, at 13/5, but our belief is that Liverpool have that little bit extra and can edge a thriller.
The ‘Over 2.5 goals’ market at 31/50 looks solid, too, and should appeal to those that want to get involved in the goal markets. This should be an open contest, and if Liverpool are to maintain their unbeaten run, they’ll likely need to go for it.
