Marseille vs Liverpool: Champions League – Salah, team news, start, lineup

Marseille vs Liverpool: Champions League – Salah, team news, start, lineupLiverpool hope to take a step closer to securing a place in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League against Marseille.Mohamed Salah and Liverpool have a chance to enter the crucial top-eight Champions League standings against Marseille on January 21, 2026 [Jason Cairnduff/Action Images via Reuters]Published On 20 Jan 2026Who: Marseille vs Liverpool What: Match day 7 (of 8), league phase, UEFA Champions League Where: Stade Velodrome in Marseille, France When: Wednesday at 9pm (20:00 GMT) How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 17:00 GMT in advance of our text commentary stream.Liverpool, eyeing automatic top-eight entry into the UEFA Champions League (UCL) Round of 16, travel to southern France to play Marseille in their penultimate league phase match.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Naomi Osaka’s outfit, entrance and win headline Australian Open day threelist 2 of 3Champions League: Unbeaten Arsenal clash with Inter in pivotal showdownlist 3 of 3Senegal, Morocco, play out an embarrassing AFCON 2025 final in Rabatend of listThe Reds, winners of three of their last four UCL fixtures, are currently ninth in the standings and staring at a perilous playoff round if they cannot move any higher in their final two games.Marseille are also knocking on the door of top-eight contention as they sit just three points behind Liverpool and with it all to play for in their clash against the English Premier League champions.Which team ultimately cruises into the last 16 and which has to claw their way in via a playoff may ultimately be decided in Wednesday’s pivotal encounter.Will Mohamed Salah play against Marseilles?Mohamed Salah made his much-anticipated return to Liverpool training on Tuesday after the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco.The Egypt forward was put through his paces during a gentle workout with the rest of the squad at the club’s training centre.Salah’s return has been a major talking point since he took aim at Liverpool in an explosive interview early last month, accusing the club of throwing him “under the bus” after he was benched for three games in a row and said he had no relationship with manager Arne Slot.But he appeared as a substitute in a 2-0 Premier League win against Brighton on December 13, providing an assist, and Slot subsequently said the club had moved on from the furore.Last week, Slot said he was “happy” Salah would be returning, refusing to divulge the content of his conversations with the 33-year-old.The Liverpool boss said he was unsure whether the forward would play against Marseille.Salah scored 29 league goals to win the Premier League Golden Boot last season as Liverpool romped to a 20th English league title, but he has managed just four goals during the current campaign.Englishman Greenwood leads Marseille – and Ligue 1 Golden BootFormer Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood leads the Ligue 1 2025-2026 top scorers chart with 12 goals in 17 appearances for Marseille.He kept his hot scoring streak going on Saturday, scoring in the 24th minute as Marseille kept up the pressure at the top of Ligue 1 with a thumping 5-2 win over Angers.Greenwood’s stupendous goal-scoring feats follow an impressive 2024-2025 season with Marseille, where he finished as the joint top scorer with 21 goals, sharing the honour with Paris Saint-Germain superstar Ousmane Dembele.The 24-year-old is a graduate of Manchester United’s youth system and played for the Red Devils from 2018-2024, scoring 22 goals in 83 appearances.It has been five years since Greenwood made his sole England appearance, which came in a narrow victory over Iceland.Mason Greenwood’s goal exploits are playing Marseille into Ligue 1 title contention – and playing himself into contention for an England call-up for the World Cup [File: Xavier Laine/Getty Images]Where are Marseille and Liverpool in the Champions League standings?With two match days remaining, Liverpool are ninth in the Champions League group phase with 12 points.Marseille are in 16th position with three wins and three losses from their six matches. They are one of five teams with nine points.How many teams automatically qualify for the last 16 from the league phase?The top eight clubs on the league phase ladder automatically qualify for the round of 16.Teams placing ninth to 24th face a two-legged knockout playoff round with the winners securing passage to the last 16 of the tournament.When did Liverpool and Marseille last win the Champions League?Liverpool have won the UEFA Champions League six times with their most recent title coming under head coach Jurgen Klopp in the 2018-2019 season.Marseille won their only UEFA Champions League title in 1993 with a 1-0 triumph over AC Milan.When did Liverpool last play Marseille in the Champions League?Liverpool and Marseille will meet in the Champions League for the first time since the 2008-2009 season.The two clubs have played four times in Champions League history, and Liverpool hold a 3-1 edge over the French side.Liverpool team newsSlot has remained tight-lipped on whether Salah will get a run against Marseille, just days after the Egyptian star returned from AFCON.Liverpool are still without their star offseason signing Alexander Isak, who is sidelined for another few weeks with a leg injury. Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni are also out with lower body injuries.Liverpool’s predicted starting lineup (4-2-3-1):Alisson (goalkeeper); Frimpong, Konate, van Dijk, Robertson; Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Szoboszlai, Wirtz, Gakpo; EkitikeSalah, second from right, laughs with Liverpool teammate Jeremie Frimpong during a training session in Kirkby outside Liverpool in northwest England on January 20, 2026 [Oli Scarff/AFP]Marseille team newsGabon striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who was also at AFCON, is strongly tipped to return and lead the line for Marseille against Liverpool.Coach Roberto De Zerbi will be without injured duo Ruben Blanco and Derek Cornelius.Marseille’s predicted starting lineup (4-2-3-1):Rulli (goalkeeper); Murillo, Balerdi, Medina, Emerson; O’Riley, Hojbjerg; Weah, Greenwood, Paixao; AubameyangLast five matchesMarseille: W-L-L-W-W (most recent result last, all competitions)Liverpool: D-W-D-D-D (most recent result last, all competitions)