Monaco-Marseille preview: Gattuso looking to spark OM revival | OneFootball

Monaco-Marseille preview: Gattuso looking to spark OM revival | OneFootball

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·28 September 2023

Monaco-Marseille preview: Gattuso looking to spark OM revival

Article image:Monaco-Marseille preview: Gattuso looking to spark OM revival

Whilst Marseille are hoping for a new-manager bounce under Gennaro Gattuso, Monaco are looking to bounce back following last weekend’s derby-day defeat to Nice.

Kick-off: Saturday, 21:00


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The build-up to Monaco-Marseille is defined by uncertainty. Monaco have been settled this season, making few changes to a system that works, and whilst the club have taken just one point from a possible six in their last two games, Adi Hütter doesn’t see the need to tear things up and start again. However, injuries and suspensions may force the Austrian manager’s hand.

Key absentees for Monaco

It was revealed midweek that Caio Henrique has suffered an ACL injury. The Brazilian will undergo surgery and is expected to be absent for a minimum of six months, and it is envisageable that he won't feature for the Monégasques again this season. His partner on the left, Aleksandr Golovin, is absent through suspension, whilst Takumi Minamino was absent from Thursday’s training with adductor pain. The Japanese international will be evaluated on Saturday.

After an "unnecessary" defeat against local rivals Nice, Hütter said that Monaco "have the opportunity to show a reaction, and this is what I want". However, preparing for the fixture has not been easy, not just because of the injuries, but also because of the uncertainty at Marseille.

"[Gattuso] brings new ideas, new emotions, so it wasn’t easy for us to prepare this game, for the scouts and for the data analysts, but I have to focus more on my team," said Hütter. The former AC Milan midfielder certainly represents an unknown quantity.

Gattuso: 'The priority is rediscovering our enthusiasm.'

The former AC Milan, Napoli and Valencia manager has set his sights not only on shoring-up a defence that conceded four in last weekend’s Classique versus PSG, but also on inspiring enthusiasm. "I want a compact side, a side that plays for the shirt. I want us to play as a team. When we miss a pass, I want us to want to get back, not for us to shout at a teammate. The priority is rediscovering our enthusiasm," said Gattuso at his unveiling.

The Italian revealed a preference for either a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1 shape, meaning that Marcelino’s 4-4-2 is a thing of the past at the Vélodrome. He added that he has an "intense" style and wants his team to be quick and be able to break through the lines. How this manifests itself on the turf of the Stade Louis II on Saturday, we’ll just have to wait and see.

Possible teams

Monaco: Köhn; Magassa, Maripán, Singo; Jakobs, Camara, Zakaria, Fofana, Vanderson; Ben Yedder, Balogun

Marseille: Lopez; Lodi, Gigot, Mbemba, Clauss; Ounahi, Veretout, Rongier; Correa, Aubameyang, Ndiaye

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