Match Preview: Liverpool Set for Crucial Champions League Test Against Marseille
The Reds are battling for a spot in the top eight...
Liverpool’s upcoming UEFA Champions League clash against Marseille is more than just another European night. With Slot’s side teetering on the edge of the top eight, and Marseille breathing down their neck, there is no disguising the reality that this is a must-win game.
This season has already brought its share of inconsistencies. Unbeaten runs have felt laboured rather than impressive. Victories have lacked rhythm, and recent performances have been riddled with hesitation. Liverpool have scraped through more than they’ve surged ahead, and the intensity that once separated them from the rest has faded into something far less predictable. If progress in Europe is to continue, that must change, and fast.
Marseille Won’t Sit Back
This is not a match where Liverpool will have to unlock a low block or break down a wall of resistance. Marseille, under Roberto De Zerbi, are an open, attacking side. They’re third in Ligue 1 and the highest scorers in the division, with 41 goals in 18 games. They don’t play for draws. They attack, they press, and they chase games. That’s a danger, but it’s also an opportunity.
Liverpool traditionally fare better against sides that try to play football. But Marseille won’t just roll over. They’ve already taken down Newcastle and PSV in the Champions League. They took Real Madrid to the wire. They’re a serious threat, particularly in the first 20 minutes where their energy, crowd and tempo can take the game away from you. Slot’s men must ride that wave, keep their heads, and wait for the spaces to open up.
Performance, Not Just Points, Is Now Essential
Given Liverpool’s situation, the bare minimum required is a result. But it’s not enough to stumble through. A composed, confident, and disciplined display is long overdue. Defensive lapses have become all too common, and transitions are still a concern, especially with only Van Dijk and Gomez available at centre-back. If Liverpool play a high line with their current personnel and don’t press with conviction, they could be sliced apart.
It’s not just the defence that needs sharpening. Up front, the attack lacks cohesion. Without Salah, who could make his return, Liverpool have looked toothless. Gakpo is on a poor run of form, and while Wirtz offers flashes of quality, there’s not enough bite in the final third. Playing on the counter might offer the best path to victory, especially with pace from players like Frimpong, but it demands compactness and much more clinical edge in the final third.
This is the kind of game where someone like Szoboszlai must assert himself. If he can dictate tempo and set the tone, Liverpool might just wrest control of this tie.
Predicted Liverpool XI: Alisson, Frimpong, Gomez, Van Dijk (C), Kerkez, Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai, Wirtz, Ekitike, Gakpo.
Bench: Mamardashvili, Woodman, Robertson, Endo, Nyoni, Jones, Chiesa, Ngumoha, Salah.
Slot Needs This Too
Arne Slot will be under no illusion. The squad is thin, injuries are piling up, and the margins for error are narrowing. He needs a result—not just for the club’s Champions League hopes, but to maintain any sense of control over a fractured campaign.
There’s no escaping the fact that this match is pivotal. The players need to believe again and the fans need something to believe in. And Slot needs a performance that says, unequivocally, Liverpool are still a threat in Europe.
Final Thoughts
What Liverpool need most in Marseille is composure. Get through the first 20 minutes. Don’t concede daft penalties. Don’t lose your heads. If they can match Marseille physically and mentally, the quality should show. But that’s a big if.
This isn’t the type of match where you can coast. It requires total commitment. Every player must be alert for this one.
With Qarabag still to come, Liverpool could theoretically leave France with a point and still go through. But that would be to invite danger. Better to win now, assert dominance, and go into the final group game with confidence rather than panic.
Liverpool once made these European nights feel inevitable. That feeling has gone. It’s time to bring it back.
Score Prediction: Marseille 2-1 Liverpool