Sampaoli: 'Dimitri is getting better and better' | OneFootball

Ahead of in-form Olympique de Marseille hosting Strasbourg in Ligue 1 Uber Eats on Friday evening, OM boss Jorge Sampaoli has praised the contributions of attacking midfielder Dimitri Payet.

MARSEILLE - STRASBOURG

(kick-off at 19:00 GMT)

>> LIVE SCORING, STATS AND COMMENTARY

Payet has scored three goals and provided six assists since Sampaoli took over seven matches ago and will be aiming to help the Argentinian coach extend his winning start at home as OM coach to five matches.

Sampaoli said: "Dimitri is getting better and better, on the mental side notably, and that's what's the most important thing. He's playing closer and closer to the opposition goal and is progressing in terms of his goals and his assists. He seems to have understood the style of play we want to put in place and that's positive in terms of us getting closer to our objectives with this project."

OM come into Round 35 sixth in the table, a point behind fifth-placed Lens, and the revival under Sampaoli has them challenging for a European finish. Sampaoli has taken 16 points from his first seven matches in charge, matching his compatriot Marcelo Bielsa's excellent start at the club in 2014.

Central to it all has been the 34-year-old Payet. Sampaoli commented: "Dimitri is enthusiastic and we hope he'll be able to maintain his form over time. Today, for a coach, the most difficult thing is to ensure a player keeps performing over a sustained period. I believe in his capacities and I hope he'll keep improving on a daily basis. It's about understanding why he has had inconsistent spells in his career. We need to find the solutions so that he's completely focused on his game and give him the keys so that he focuses only on football."

Rongier: "It's not down to luck"

OM midfielder Valentin Rongier said of his team-mate: "Dimitri is like the team. If he's performing very well at the moment then it's not down to luck. He works hard and the current dynamic of the team is helping him."

Strasbourg have won only one of their last six league games but Thierry Laurey hopes his side will be able to round off the season in good fashion. He said: "When you go to the Vélodrome there is always a special flavour. It gives you extra desire and motivation in order to perform well. We we'll do everything we can in order to take points at Marseille. We want to finish the campaign off well over the last four matches."

Strasbourg have 37 points and are six points clear of 18th-placed Nantes. Laurey believes one more win will be enough for the Alsace club to guarantee their Ligeu 1 Uber Eats status for another season. Laurey said: "I would like us to break the 40-point barrier. We must be capable of doing it. As soon as we get to 40 points, we'll be much harder to catch for all the clubs who are behind us."

Probable Teams:

Marseille: (to follow)

Strasbourg: (to follow)

>> Wissam Ben Yedder: 100 in the sights of unlikely 'supersub'

>> Lyon's last chance against title-chasing Monaco >> One to watch: Maxence Caqueret, Lyon's midfield metronome >> Lille-Nice preview: Dogues with a bone aiming for the title >> Yilmaz, Mbappé, Volland, Depay - the stars of the title race

>> Title race: More edge-of-seat action on the cards!