Bruno Genesio Prepares for Le Classique with Limited Options

Bruno Genesio heads into Le Classique with a thin deck and no margin for error.

Olympique de Marseille arrive at Sunday night’s showdown with Paris Saint-Germain on a four-game losing streak in all competitions, and the new coach knows he has little scope for sweeping changes. The squad is light, the options limited, the stakes huge.

Two names are definitely off the table: Geoffrey Kondogbia and Tochukwu Nnadi remain sidelined, stripping OM of experience and bite in midfield. That reality has shaped a team that has been largely unchanged in Ligue 1, even as results have dipped.

This time, though, one tweak is on the cards.

Harit through the middle, Abdallah unleashed

Angel Gomes is the most likely casualty. The England international has struggled to find rhythm since returning from his loan spell at Wolverhampton Wanderers in the summer, and his form has opened the door for a reshuffle in attack.

Genesio is expected to push Amine Harit into a central role, asking the Moroccan to knit play and carry more of the creative load between the lines. That switch would free up a spot on the right flank, where Keylian Abdallah is in line to start and inject more direct running and urgency in the final third.

The rest of the side looks familiar, a continuation of the coach’s recent Ligue 1 blueprint.

The likely OM XI for Le Classique

Between the posts, Jeffrey De Lange is set to continue. In front of him, a back four of Emerson, Nayef Aguerd, CJ Egan-Riley and Timothy Weah offers a blend of physicality and athleticism, with Weah again asked to provide energy on the flank.

In midfield, Himad Abdelli and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg should form the double pivot, tasked with shielding the defence and trying to wrest control from PSG’s star-studded engine room.

Further forward, Igor Paixao and Abdallah are expected to operate either side of Harit, with Amine Gouiri leading the line.

Marseille’s likely line-up v PSG: Jeffrey De Lange; Emerson, Nayef Aguerd, CJ Egan-Riley, Timothy Weah; Himad Abdelli, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg; Igor Paixao, Amine Harit, Keylian Abdallah, Amine Gouiri. (L’Éq)

A squad stretched, a coach boxed in, a Classique looming. For Genesio and OM, this isn’t just about selection. It’s about stopping a slide before it turns into a freefall.