Leonardo Balerdi & Luiz Felipe set to miss end of season with injury as Marseille defensive crisis deepens | OneFootball

Olympique de Marseille’s defensive issues are looking to worsen, going into the final seven matches of the season. Following Saturday’s 3-1 defeat to Stade de Reims, L’Équipe report that Marseille captain Leonardo Balerdi (26) and fellow centre back Luiz Felipe (28) are set for their seasons to end due to injury. Balerdi came off for Marseille at Stade Auguste Delaune, and has reportedly sprained his medial ligament which could see him miss several weeks of competition, as reported by L’Équipe on Sunday morning. Balerdi will undergo medical exams today, but is expected to be out of action until the end of the season. To make matters worse, it was then reported only a few hours later that Luiz Felipe will also be out of action for several weeks following a hamstring injury. For Roberto De Zerbi, this effectively leaves only one natural first team center-back in Derek Cornelius, along with what is becoming a bit of a permanent makeshift role for Geoffrey Kondogbia in the back three. Various combinations have recently been tested to little amounts of success, including Quentin Merlin and Pol Lirola. L’Équipe report however that it could be Pierre Emile-Højbjerg that comes back into the defensive backline, after he featured in the position during the defeat to Lens (0-1).GFFN | George Boxall