UEFA Champions League Showdown: Marseille vs. Liverpool
Olympique Marseille striker and former Liverpool player Djibril Cisse returns to Liverpool. No, Marseille aren’t returning him to the Reds. It’s just that Marseille and Liverpool happen to be in the same group for the 2007-08 UEFA Champions League season, and naturally they will have to compete against one another. The anticipated UEFA Champions League group stage match between Marseille and Liverpool is already this coming Wednesday, October 3, 2007 at Anfield Park in Liverpool.
Take a look at Liverpool, and you’ll be impressed with names like Fernando Torres, Peter Crouch, Xabi Alonso, Jamie Carragher, Andriy Voronin, Steven Gerrard and Daniel Agger.
Take a look at Olympique Marseille and there are talented footballers like Djibril Cisse, Boudewijn Zenden, Mamadou Niang, Karim Ziani and Lorik Cana.
French Ligue 1 team Marseille has met with English Premier League team Liverpool FC twice before. Those encounters took place in the fourth round of the 2003-04 UEFA Cup. Olympique Marseille prevailed over Liverpool 3-2 on aggregate and made the final that 2003-04 season of the UEFA Cup. However, the players who won it back then are no longer in Olympique’s current squad. As for Liverpool, Jamie Carragher, John Arne Riise, Steven Gerrard and Sami Hyypia are hopeful that they can turn things around this time and erase the bitter memory of that loss inthe past.
Liverpool are making their sixth UEFA Champions League group stage appearance, having made their debut in the competition in 2001. They are trying to follow in the footsteps of AC Milan by becoming the second club to win the trophy, having been runners-up in the previous season. AC Milan achieved that feat 14 years ago, and Liverpool hope to duplicate that achievement.
Olympique Marseille have compiled a record of 10 wins, six draws and 10 defeats in 26 UEFA Champions League matches. Their only major European trophy was the Champions League in its inauguration in the 1992-1993 season. Olympique Marseille started their 2007-2008 UEFA Champions League campaign by defeating Besiktas 2-0 at home, but Marseille have not won a UEFA Champions League match on the road since September 1999, when they triumphed at Croatia Zagreb.
Meanwhile, Liverpool have won six of their last seven European home matches. Their only non-winning result was a 1-1 draw with FC Porto in matchday 1 of 2007-08 UEFA Champions League group stages. Liverpool will compete against Olympique Marseille without Jermaine Pennant, who is suspended following his red card against FC Porto. In their groups standings, Marseille seem to have the advantage with 3 points against Liverpool’s 1 point.
However, Marseille hasn’t been performing very well lately, and are at the bottom of the French Ligue 1. Their recent failures has forced the Marseille management to replace Albert Emon, who coached Marseille since the summer of 2006. Replacing Emon will be Erik Gerets, whose last coaching stint was with Galatasaray SK. Erik Gerets has won two league titles in both Belgium and the Netherlands and one in Turkey. Gerets hopes to do the same for Marseille, and hopes that his coaching debut for Marseille against Liverpool will prove the right result.
Another member of Olympique Marseille who wants to make an impact against Liver pool is striker and former Liverpool player Djibril Cisse, who played with Liverpool between 2004-06. Cisse is the leading career UEFA Champions Leage goal scorer in the Marseilles squad, with four goals. Certainly, Cisse will be hoping to score against Liverpool at Anfield, where he still has some fans.
Of course, Liverpool look to have the slight advantage in the match as Liverpool is known to play fantastic football on their home pitch at Anfield. Liverpool coach Rafa Benitez will be coaching his 50th career Champions League match, becoming only the 13th coach to reach this milestone. Certainly, a win by Liverpool over Marseilles will be a fitting reward for reaching this milestone.
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