Unbeaten Marseille target Mönchengladbach glory
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Article summary
Olympique de Marseille will be hopeful of maintaining their unbeaten record in Group C when they travel to VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach, who have struggled at home recently.
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VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach will look to avoid extending a three-game losing streak at home as high-scoring Olympique de Marseille return to Germany in UEFA Europa League Group C.
Previous meetings
• The sides are meeting for the first time in UEFA competition.
• Gladbach's record in six matches against French sides is W5 D0 L1 (W2 D0 L1 at home – W3 D0 L0 away). That lone defeat – a 4-2 loss to AS Monaco FC in a 1996/97 UEFA Cup second round game, played in Cologne – was the club's worst home result in this competition until they matched it on matchday two, against Fenerbahçe SK.
• Marseille's record in 12 fixtures against German sides is W5 D2 L5 (W4 D0 L2 at home – W1 D2 L3 in Germany). That sole victory in Germany came in their last-but-one visit, when OM beat Borussia Dortmund 3-2 in the 2011/12 UEFA Champions League group stage.
Match background
• Defeat against Fenerbahçe on matchday two means Gladbach are now on a three-game losing streak at home, stretching back to a 3-2 victory against Arsenal FC in the 1996/97 UEFA Cup first round. All three of those losses have been by two-goal margins – 4-2 reverses to Monaco and Fenerbahçe sandwiching a 3-1 loss to FC Dynamo Kyiv in this season's UEFA Champions League play-offs.
• Marseille are unbeaten in six European games this season, (W3 D3) including a win and two draws on their travels.
Team facts
• Liverpool FC and Marseille are the highest-scoring clubs in the group stage, with seven goals apiece going into matchday three. Six of Marseille's goals have come in the second half, five of them after the 76th minute.
• As a midfielder, Mönchengladbach coach Lucien Favre won the 1984/85 Swiss title with Servette FC and 24 caps for Switzerland. He lifted further Swiss Cups as a coach with Servette and FC Zürich, as well as two titles with the latter. He has specialised in creating competitive sides on modest budgets in Germany, finishing fourth in the Bundesliga with Hertha in 2008/09 and Mönchengladbach in 2011/12.
• Marseille coach Élie Baup's goalkeeping career ended when he was in a car accident at the age of 20, but he stayed on in the game as a youth coach, moving up to the senior ranks to take charge of AS Saint-Étienne before winning the 1998/99 Ligue 1 title with FC Girondins de Bordeaux. Having coached Toulouse FC and FC Nantes, he became a TV pundit before taking charge at OM in summer 2012.
• This is FARE Action Week, with UEFA giving its support to Europe's biggest anti-discrimination campaign. There are activities before each UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League game which will be witnessed by thousands of fans in the stadiums and millions on television. A 30-second RESPECT TV spot and announcements over stadium loudspeakers will encourage fans to join the UEFA family in its call to unite against racism in football. Every team will be accompanied on to the pitch by children wearing Unite Against Racism T-shirts and captains will be asked to wear a Unite Against Racism armband.
