2007–08 Olympique de Marseille season

Marseille

2007–08 season
Chairman	Robert Louis-Dreyfus
Manager	Albert Emon Eric Gerets
Ligue 1	3rd
Coupe de France	Round of 16
Coupe de la Ligue	Quarter-finals
Champions League	Group stage
UEFA Cup	Round of 16
Top goalscorer	League: Mamadou Niang (18 goals) All: Mamadou Niang (23 goals)
Home colours Away colours Third colours
← 2006–07 2008–09 →

Olympique de Marseille extended their titleless run to 15 years – but had a decent season, where they qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the second year running, and won away from home in the 2007–08 tournament at Anfield against 2007 finalists Liverpool, but a 4–0 defeat at Stade Vélodrome in the last round knocked OM out of the tournament. Having sold Franck Ribéry to Bayern Munich for around 30 million euros, the stage was set for Marseille to push the boundaries financially in the coming seasons, with investments in the playing squad long overdue for a club that had been known as a club selling players expensively rather than buying.

Squad

As of February 1, 2008.^[1]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  FRA Cédric Carrasso 2 MF  CIV Kanga Akalé (on loan from Lens) 3 DF  NGA Taye Taiwo 4 DF  FRA Julien Rodríguez 5 DF  FRA Jacques Faty 6 MF  ALG Karim Ziani 7 MF  FRA Benoît Cheyrou 9 FW  FRA Djibril Cissé 10 MF  NED Boudewijn Zenden 11 FW  SEN Mamadou Niang 12 MF  BFA Charles Kaboré 14 DF  SEN Leyti N'Diaye 15 DF  FRA Ronald Zubar 16 GK  FRA Sébastien Hamel

No. Pos. Nation Player 17 MF  CMR Modeste M'bami 18 FW  FRA Elliot Grandin 19 MF  ALB Lorik Cana (captain) 21 MF  SRB Miloš Krstić 22 MF  FRA Samir Nasri 23 DF  ARG Juan Ángel Krupoviesa (on loan from Boca Juniors) 24 DF  FRA Laurent Bonnart 26 DF  FRA Jean-Philippe Sabo 27 DF  SEN Pape M'Bow 28 MF  FRA Mathieu Valbuena 29 FW  GHA André Ayew 30 GK  FRA Steve Mandanda 32 DF  FRA Gaël Givet 40 GK  FRA Sébastien Maté

Transfers

In: Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. No. Pos. Nation Player 23 DF  ARG Juan Krupoviesa (on loan from Boca Juniors) 7 MF  FRA Benoît Cheyrou (from Auxerre) 10 MF  NED Boudewijn Zenden (from Liverpool) 9 FW  FRA Djibril Cisse (from Liverpool) 5 DF  FRA Jacques Faty (from Rennes) 32 DF  FRA Gaël Givet (from Monaco)

Out: Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. No. Pos. Nation Player — FW  FRA Mickaël Pagis (to Rennes) — FW  SEN Rahmane Barry (to Sedan) 20 DF  CMR Salomon Olembe (to Wigan Athletic) 7 MF  FRA Franck Ribéry (to Bayern Munich) 23 DF  SEN Habib Beye (to Newcastle United) — FW  FRA Fabrice Fiorèse (to Amiens)

Competitions

Ligue 1

League table

Results summary

Results by round

Matches

Valenciennes v Marseille

15 August 2007 3	Valenciennes	2–1	Marseille
	Savidan 62', 87'		Ziani 57'

Marseille v Nancy

19 August 2007 4	Marseille	2–2	Nancy
	Niang 22' Cissé 50'		Gavanon 64' (pen.) Hadji 80'

Caen v Marseille

25 August 2007 5	Caen	1–2	Marseille
	Samson 90+2'		Rodriguez 43' Niang 54'

Marseille v Nice

29 August 2007 6	Marseille	0–2	Nice
			Hognon 51' Hellebuyck 87'

Paris SG v Marseille

2 September 2007 7	Paris SG	1–1	Marseille
	Luyindula 20'		Cissé 11'

Marseille v Toulouse

15 September 2007 8	Marseille	1–2	Toulouse
	Zubar 90'		Emana 11' Elmander 37'

Auxerre v Marseille

22 September 2007 9	Auxerre	2–0	Marseille
	Niculae 19', 23'

Saint-Étienne v Marseille

6 October 2007 10	Saint-Étienne	1–0	Marseille
	Dernis 90'

Marseille v Lens

21 October 2007 11	Marseille	1–0	Lens
	Zenden 74'

Sochaux v Marseille

27 October 2007 12	Sochaux	2–1	Marseille
	Zubar 31' (o.g.) Bonnart 52' (o.g.)		Niang 9'

Lyon v Marseille

11 November 2007 14	Lyon	1–2	Marseille
	Juninho 7'		Niang 10' (pen.), 45'

Marseille v Metz

24 November 2007 15	Marseille	3–1	Metz
	Zenden 20' Niang 36', 70'		Gueye 88'

Lille v Marseille

1 December 2007 16	Lille	1–1	Marseille
	Kluivert 27'		Niang 32'

Marseille v AS Monaco

8 December 2007 17	Marseille	2–0	AS Monaco
	Rodriguez 52' Cana 69'

Bordeaux v Marseille

16 December 2007 18	Bordeaux	2–2	Marseille
	Chamakh 32' Jussiê 69'		Niang 2' Cheyrou 26'

Marseille v Le Mans

22 December 2007 19	Marseille	1–0	Le Mans
	Niang 14'

Rennes v Marseille

13 January 2008 20	Rennes	3–1	Marseille
	Pagis 39' Wiltord 82', 88'		Cissé 16'

Marseille v Valenciennes

19 January 2008 21	Marseille	3–1	Valenciennes
	Cissé 27', 73' Rodriguez 51'		Audel 81'

Nancy v Marseille

23 January 2008 22	Nancy	1–1	Marseille
	Brison 48'		Nasri 87'

Marseille v Caen

26 January 2008 23	Marseille	6–1	Caen
	Cissé 28', 55', 57' Valbuena 41', 44' Nasri 81'		Toudic 2'

Nice v Marseille

10 February 2008 24	Nice	0–2	Marseille
			Niang 25' Cissé 76'

Marseille v Paris SG

17 February 2008 25	Marseille	2–1	Paris SG
	Taiwo 37' Niang 45'		Rothen 29'

Marseille v Auxerre

1 March 2008 27	Marseille	2–1	Auxerre
	Cana 8' Cissé 22'		Pedretti 89'

Marseille v Saint-Étienne

9 March 2008 28	Marseille	2–0	Saint-Étienne
	Valbuena 59' Taiwo 66'

Lens v Marseille

16 March 2008 29	Lens	3–3	Marseille
	Maoulida 56' Mangane 65' Rémy 73'		Nasri 24' Cheyrou 29' Cissé 89'

Marseille v Sochaux

22 March 2008 30	Marseille	0–1	Sochaux
			N'Daw 3'

Lorient v Marseille

30 March 2008 31	Lorient	1–2	Marseille
	Saïfi 43' (pen.)		Akalé 53' Niang 80'

Marseille v Lyon

6 April 2008 32	Marseille	3–1	Lyon
	Cissé 26' Niang 28', 54'		Cana 43' (o.g.)

Metz v Marseille

12 April 2008 33	Metz	1–2	Marseille
	Barbosa 3'		Cissé 14' Nasri 57'

Marseille v Lille

20 April 2008 34	Marseille	1–3	Lille
	Niang 13'		Mirallas 37', 40' Makoun 67'

AS Monaco v Marseille

27 April 2008 35	AS Monaco	2–3	Marseille
	González 56' Leko 64'		Nasri 28' Taiwo 61' Cissé 82'

Marseille v Bordeaux

4 May 2008 36	Marseille	1–2	Bordeaux
	Niang 45'		Wendel 80' Ducasse 90'

Marseille v Strasbourg

17 May 2008 38	Marseille	4–3	Strasbourg
	Niang 7' Cissé 45+2,', 78' Nasri 45+5'		Fanchone 11' Gameiro 18' Zenke 72'

UEFA Champions League

Group stage

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Porto	6	3	2	1	8	7	+1	11	Advance to knockout stage
2	Liverpool	6	3	1	2	18	5	+13	10
3	Marseille	6	2	1	3	6	9	−3	7	Transfer to UEFA Cup
4	Beşiktaş	6	2	0	4	4	15	−11	6

Marseille v Beşiktaş

18 September 2007 1	Marseille	2–0	Beşiktaş	Marseille, France
20:45	Rodriguez 76' Cissé 90+1'			Stadium: Stade Vélodrome Attendance: 35,676 Referee: Matteo Trefoloni (Italy)

Liverpool v Marseille

3 October 2007 2	Liverpool	0–1	Marseille	Liverpool, England
20:45			Valbuena 77'	Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 41,355 Referee: Konrad Plautz (Austria)

Marseille v Porto

24 October 2007 3	Marseille	1–1	Porto	Marseille, France
20:45	Niang 70'		Lucho 79' (pen.)	Stadium: Stade Vélodrome Attendance: 46,458 Referee: Manuel Mejuto González (Spain)

Porto v Marseille

6 November 2007 4	Porto	2–1	Marseille	Porto, Portugal
20:45	Sektioui 27' Lisandro 78'		Niang 47'	Stadium: Estádio do Dragão Attendance: 42,217 Referee: Wolfgang Stark (Germany)

Beşiktaş v Marseille

28 November 2007 5	Beşiktaş	2–1	Marseille	Istanbul, Turkey
20:45	Tello 27' Bobô 88'		Taiwo 65'	Stadium: BJK İnönü Stadium Attendance: 19,448 Referee: Luis Medina Cantalejo (Spain)

Marseille v Liverpool

11 December 2007 6	Marseille	0–4	Liverpool	Marseille, France
20:45			Gerrard 4' Torres 11' Kuyt 48' Babel 90+1'	Stadium: Stade Vélodrome Attendance: 53,097 Referee: Terje Hauge (Norway)

UEFA Cup

Knockout phase

Round of 32

Marseille v Spartak Moscow

13 February 2008 First leg	Marseille	3–0	Spartak Moscow	Marseille, France
20:45	Cheyrou 62' Taiwo 68' Niang 79'	Report		Stadium: Stade Vélodrome Attendance: 31,790 Referee: Pedro Proença (Portugal)

Spartak Moscow v Marseille

21 February 2008 Second leg	Spartak Moscow	2–0 (2–3 agg.)	Marseille	Moscow, Russia
17:30	Pavlenko 39' Pavlyuchenko 85'	Report		Stadium: Luzhniki Stadium Attendance: 15,000 Referee: Thomas Einwaller (Austria)

Round of 16

Marseille v Zenit Saint Petersburg

6 March 2008 First leg	Marseille	3–1	Zenit Saint Petersburg	Marseille, France
20:45	Cissé 37', 55' Niang 48'	Report	Arshavin 82'	Stadium: Stade Vélodrome Attendance: 24,327 Referee: Knut Kircher (Germany)

Zenit Saint Petersburg v Marseille

12 March 2008 Second leg	Zenit Saint Petersburg	2–0 (3a–3 agg.)	Marseille	Saint Petersburg, Russia
17:30	Pogrebnyak 39', 78'	Report		Stadium: Petrovsky Stadium Attendance: 21,500 Referee: Mike Riley (England)

References

Sources

• – Footballsquads – Marseille 2007/2008 7
• – LFP.fr – Ligue de Football Profesionel