Nice vs Marseille Prediction: Clauss to deliver early Christmas gift?

With the international break now over, Friday night football returns in France's Ligue 1 this week (19:45 GMT, Ligue 1 Pass) with an intriguing contest between OGC Nice and Olympique Marseille at the Allianz Riviera.

Below are my Nice vs Marseille predictions, supported by all the latest team news and match odds, as the hosts look to bounce back from three consecutive defeats in the first half of November.

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Team News

Mohamed Abdelmonem and Youssouf Ndayishimiye miss out for Nice with cruciate ligament injuries, while Moise Bombito and Dante are sidelined with a leg and knee injury, respectively.

Football Odds

Marseille, meanwhile, could be without up to nine players due to injury.

Ruben Blanco (knee), Nayef Aguerd (groin), Amine Gouri (shoulder), Facundo Medina (ankle), Michael Murillo (tendon), Hamed Junior Traore, Timothy Weah (both thigh), Leonardo Balerdi (calf) and Bilal Nadir (head) have all been in the Marseille medical bay recently.

Swiss wing-back Ulisses Garcia, who was sent off in Marseille's 1-0 win at Auxerre on November 9 and was suspended for their 3-0 victory at home to Stade Brestois a week later, is back in the fold, though.

Nice vs Marseille Odds

Nice, who have won the last two editions of this fixture at the Riviera, are 11/4, or a 26.7% chance, to win on Friday, with the draw priced at 13/5, and Marseille 19/20 (51.3%) to record a third consecutive league victory.

Player to Have 1 or More Shots on Target - Jonathan Clauss (NIC) @ 15/8

Former Marseille man Jonathan Clauss, who played 85 times for Les Phoceens across the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons, will be keen to get one over his old side on Friday.

The 33-year-old wing-back posed a few problems for Roberto De Zerbi's side in last season's corresponding fixture, seeing a 43rd-minute shot saved by visiting goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli.

Today's Football Fixtures

Clauss averaged 0.3 shots on target per game in last season's Ligue 1, and after nine competition appearances this term (eight starts), he has registered two shots on target.

His most recent accurate effort was a goal against Stade Rennais in a 2-1 Nice win at Roazhon Park on October 26, although he was forced off at half-time due to injury and missed his side's next two league games, only returning in their 2-1 defeat at FC Metz on November 9, just before the international window opened.

The Frenchman was unable to make an impact at the Stade Saint Symphorien, but you can bet he'll be pushing himself to create some headlines this Friday, so 1+ Shots on Target looks like a solid bet at 15/8, considering this selection landed when the sides last met in January.

Corner Over/Under - Over 10.5 @ 5/4

Only Lens (11.25) are averaging more corners per game (for/against) in Ligue 1 this season than Nice (11.08), who are second in the home table, too, with 12.5 (Lens - 14.83).

Marseille, meanwhile, are joint-third-bottom of the corners-per-game table (8.58), but while their home average is seven, the lowest in the French top flight, their away average is 10.17, the seventh-highest in the division.

When the sides last met, at the Riviera on January 26, there were 18 corners taken, six by Nice and 12 by Marseille.