Marseille Vs Lyon: Beye fields Kondogbia and Traoré in first Vélodrome XI

Marseille Vs Lyon kicks off with Habib Beye naming his first Marseille starting lineup at the Vélodrome: a 4-3-3 that places Geoffrey Kondogbia in the holding role and Hamed Traoré ahead of Paixao alongside Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mason Greenwood.

Marseille's set-up and personnel

Habib Beye, appointed to replace Roberto De Zerbi after a 0-2 defeat at Brest, has chosen a back four that pushes Álvaro Medina to the bench for this match. Geronimo Rulli starts in goal behind Timothy Weah, Leonardo Balerdi, Nayef Aguerd and Emerson Palmieri. In midfield, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Quinten Timber flank Geoffrey Kondogbia, who is placed as the sentinelle. Up front, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is supported by Mason Greenwood and Hamed Traoré; Traoré is selected instead of Paixao. Gouiri is absent with a muscular issue and does not feature in the matchday squad.

Marseille Vs Lyon: what Lyon brings to the Vélodrome

Lyon will line up in a 4-4-2 losange with Dominik Greif as goalkeeper. The defensive four reads Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Clinton Mata, Moussa Niakhaté and Nicolás Tagliafico. Tanner Tessmann, Tyler Morton and Noah Nartey compose the midfield base while Corentin Tolisso occupies the slightly more advanced central role. Roman Yaremchuk and Endrick are paired up front in the two-striker system.

Immediate implications for each side

With Gouiri unavailable because of a muscular problem, Beye has adjusted Marseille's front three and entrusted Kondogbia with the screening duties ahead of the back four; that choice directly affects how the Phocéens will protect their defense against Lyon's twin forwards, Yaremchuk and Endrick. Medina's move to the bench signals a preference for the selected back four of Weah, Balerdi, Aguerd and Emerson, and places Hojbjerg and Timber in roles that should connect the midfield to Aubameyang and Greenwood.

For Lyon, the 4-4-2 losange puts Tolisso as the more advanced midfielder behind Endrick and Yaremchuk, while Tessmann, Morton and Nartey are tasked with supporting transitions from midfield into attack. Dominik Greif's role as last man will be central to how Lyon manages Marseille's wide attackers and Aubameyang's movement through the box.

This fixture is part of the 24th matchday of the 2025/2026 Ligue 1 season and takes place Sunday evening at the Vélodrome, where Habib Beye will sit on the Marseille bench for the first time. The lineups confirm Beye's immediate tactical choices: a 4-3-3 with Kondogbia as the fulcrum and Traoré preferred in attack, while Lyon counters with a 4-4-2 losange and the partnership of Yaremchuk and Endrick up front.

The next confirmed milestone is the kick-off at the Vélodrome on Sunday evening for the Olympico, where these starting XIs will meet.