Marseille will be without Derek Cornelius and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg when they face Olympiacos in the UEFA Europa League, leaving the French club short of options for a match that arrives with little margin for error. Cornelius has been ruled out until the winter break, while Hojbjerg is sidelined by a minor knock and will miss the trip before returning for Ligue 1 duty.
That is why Marseille Vs Olympiacos is drawing attention now: the team news has turned the fixture into a test of depth before a European night that already carried weight. Cornelius had started Marseille’s opener against Besiktas, but he was later withdrawn in a 4-1 defeat that exposed the scale of the problem. Hojbjerg’s absence adds another layer, even if it is only temporary.
The details of Cornelius’s injury have not been revealed, which leaves Marseille managing the consequences without a clear timeline beyond the winter break. For a side trying to steady itself in the competition, losing a defender who was trusted from the start against Besiktas is more than a routine setback. It forces changes at a point in the schedule when continuity matters most.
Olympiacos, though, bring their own twist. Ayoub El Kaabi will be out for the season, but Armando Gonzalez is expected to feature against Marseille after being rested in the Derby of the Eternal Enemies against Panathinaikos following his return from international duty with Mexico. Marius started upfront in that 1-0 win, yet Gonzalez had already given a reminder of his threat by scoring his first European goal against Jagiellonia Bialystok.
The broader picture is that both sides arrive with reasons to adjust rather than settle. Olympiacos are in third place with 13 points after overtaking PAOK, while Panathinaikos are followed by AEK Athens with 14 points, a reminder of how tightly the Greek picture is moving around them. Marseille’s problem is simpler and more immediate: they must navigate a European fixture without Cornelius and Hojbjerg, and the shape of that response will tell as much about them as the result itself.
Information in this report is based on a Sport24.gr account.
