Marseille vs Liverpool: Champions League preview, predictions and bet builder tips

• Ladbrokes previews Marseille vs Liverpool in the Champions League

• Liverpool 9th in league phase, Marseille 16th

• Reds predicted to win

The Champions League returns after Christmas with two matches left to play in the league phase, and Liverpool begin the final stretch with a trip to Marseille to take on Roberto De Zerbi's free-scoring side. Ladbrokes brings you the latest odds, betting tips and predictions as The Reds look to improve their chances of securing a top-eight spot with a big win in France.

Match details

• Fixture: Olympique Marseille vs Liverpool FC

• Date: Wednesday, January 21, 2026

• Kick-off: 20:00 GMT

• Venue: Stade Velodrome

Marseille vs Liverpool prediction

Our prediction: Marseille 1-2 Liverpool

Marseille vs Liverpool predicted lineups

Marseille (3-4-3): Rulli / Pavard, Medina, Balerdi / Weah, Hojbjerg, O'Riley, Emerson / Greenwood, Aubameyang, Paixao

Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Alisson / Frimpong, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson / Gravenberch, Mac Allister / Szoboszlai, Wirtz, Gakpo / Ekitike

Liverpool were underwhelming in their 1-1 draw with Burnley at the weekend, a result which made it four draws in a row, although they are now unbeaten in eleven games in all competitions. Their last defeat was a shock 4-1 loss at home to PSV in the Champions League, which was followed up with a hard-fought 1-0 win at the San Siro. The Reds are 9th in the league phase, just outside the automatic qualification spots on goals scored.

Back-to-back wins for Marseille in Europe, against Newcastle and Union-Saint Gilloise, have moved them up to 16th in the table after they lost three of their opening four. However, we think Liverpool represent a class above, and should have enough to pick up a crucial three points.

French forward Hugo Ekitike has been a huge success since arriving on Merseyside, with 12 goals so far in his debut season. He's had to carry the goalscoring burden recently with Mo Salah at AFCON and Alexander Isak injured, although Salah could play a part here. The former PSG man will have a point to prove against their fierce rivals, and with at least one shot on target in each of the last five games, we're tipping Ekitike to land another here.

Former Tottenham midfielder Pierre Emile-Hojbjerg was never shy of throwing himself into challenges during his time in the Premier League, and he's established himself as a key lieutenant in Roberto De Zerbi's team since initially joining on loan in 2024. The Denmark midfielder has two Ligue 1 bookings and one in the Champions League this year, with at least one foul in four of the last five games, and we could see him being a little fired up against familiar opponents.

In line with our 1-2 prediction, the final leg of our bet builder is over 2.5 goals in the match. Marseille are the highest scorers in Ligue 1 and matches at the Velodrome this season average a remarkable 4.2 per game, with Roberto De Zerbi's buccaneering style of play now fully implemented in the Riviera. Before their creditable goalless draw at Arsenal, Liverpool had scored at least two goals in their previous four away trips, so we're predicting there'll be plenty of goals again.

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Don't forget to check out our Champions League weekly accumulator, with a Liverpool win included this week.

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All odds and markets are correct as of the date of publication.