Champions League Preview: OM head to Madrid
With the Ligue 1 McDonald's season barely underway, the Champions League is also set to kick off, as Olympique de Marseille visit Real Madrid to open the competition for French teams. Get the latest as we preview this league phase match.
A refreshed squad
Despite stumbles against Stade Rennais and Olympique Lyonnais, a busy transfer window for OM looks to be paying big dividends, as the club have struck nine goals their first four Ligue 1 McDonald's matches, buoyed by the return of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, as well as fellow attacker Timothy Weah. At the back, they've added a raft of experienced defenders, including Benjamin Pavard, Nayef Aguerd and Facundo Medina, giving their side strength and depth.
But while their displays in Ligue 1 have been impressive indeed, a trip to face the competition's record winner (despite their having lost to Lille last year looks a daunting one, even for manager Roberto de Zerbi's cadre of veterans, owing to the monumental nature of the occasion and the pressure on the manager himself given the summer's outlay. Said de Zerbi of the task of playing at one of Europe's truly legendary stadiums in its biggest competition, "It's the second time I've coached at the Bernabéu. It's an honor for me. Marseille have a rich European history, though. We come here to play, give our best, and win."
📅 Next game: Our UEFA @ChampionsLeague return 😍
🆚 @realmadriden 🇪🇸
🏟️ Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
⏰ Tuesday, 21:00 CET | 20:00 BST#RMAOM | ⚪️🔵 pic.twitter.com/lKfTK5Qvn2— Olympique de Marseille 🇬🇧 🇺🇸 (@OM_English) September 12, 2025
Familiar faces (and one new one)
Anything other than defeat will likely be a result from which l'OM can take heart, as they'll face a side which has started its domestic season with four wins from four as Xabi Alonso undertakes his first season at the helm of his former club. Alonso's task has been made easier by a team which has been added to in canny fashion, but still retains most of its key elements, including several former Ligue 1 McDonald's players in the form of Kylian Mbappé, Aurélien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga and Ferland Mendy.
Speaking pre-match, it was the former Monaco midfielder who sounded a note of caution for his teammates about both the level of talent on offer in Marseille and the club's historic aura, saying, "They've had a lot of changes, and I expect a difficult match tomorrow. I don't know if all Spaniards know the team, but it has a lot of power in France and as a Frenchman I'm really looking forward to it."
Predicted lineups:
Real Madrid (4-3-3): Courtois; Alexander-Arnold, Militao, Huijsen, Alaba (or Carreras); Tchouameni, Valverde, Güler; Mastantuono, Mbappé, Vinicius
Olympique de Marseille (3-4-3): Rulli; Pavard, Balerdi, Medina; Murillo, Højberg, Kondogbia, Weah (or Emerson); Greenwood, Aubameyang, Gomes
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