OM changed its defense before kickoff against Strasbourg on Friday night, with CJ Egan-Riley named to start in place of injured Leonardo Balerdi for the first match of Ligue 1.
The change mattered immediately because this was not a late-season adjustment or a test run. It came in the opener, at 20 h 45, when lineups told the first real story of the campaign. Timothy Weah wore the captain’s armband, Giovanni Reyna was listed among Strasbourg’s substitutes and Sékou Mara was on the pitch at the Vélodrome.
For OM, the replacement at the back was the clearest selection call of the night. Balerdi’s injury left a gap in the starting side, and Egan-Riley was the player trusted to fill it. That is the kind of change that matters most when the season is still at its first step, because there is no table yet to hide behind and no rhythm yet to lean on.
There was also a second, quieter shift in Strasbourg’s setup. Hugo Oliveira did not start Mateo Del Blanco at left back and chose Genesis Antwi instead. Quinten Timber was suspended, which cut another option from the matchday picture and added to the sense that both sides were dealing with early-season absences before a ball had really settled into the game.
The unresolved point is Balerdi’s recovery. The lineup confirmed he was unavailable for Marseille vs Strasbourg, but it did not say how long OM will have to manage without him. For now, the opener has already forced a change, and Egan-Riley is the one asked to carry it from the first whistle.
