Nantes vs Marseille preview - Bielsa: Marseille is the best team

Posted Thursday, April 16, 2015 by PA

Marseille coach Marcelo Bielsa insists he is in charge of the best team in Ligue 1 ahead of his fourth-placed side's trip to Nantes on Friday night.

OM fell out of the top three last weekend when they went down 1-0 at Bordeaux, having suffered a 3-2 defeat at home to champions Paris St Germain on April 5.

But the Argentinian believes his team did not get the rub of the green against Les Girondins and says he would not swap his squad for any other in the French top flight.

"The defeat against Paris was more difficult because it was deserved," he said at his pre-match press conference on Wednesday, quoted on www.om.net. "Against Paris, we did not produce what we are capable of. This is the reverse of what happened against Bordeaux.

"What I will say is inappropriate, unsuitable. I should not say it this way: if the league ended here, the best team, from my point of view, is OM. We have the best players and we have produced the best football. This is my personal conviction, which does not aim to put down other teams - it's just what I think.

"We are fourth, so of course I have to be dissatisfied with my work.

"I would not trade OM for any other team in the championship. There are teams that have good players in larger quantities - it is a disadvantage. But the players who play regularly for OM, I would not change them for players from other teams."

Romain Alessandrini will continue in Marseille's midfield after impressing in place of Dimitri Payet, with centre-back Nicolas Nkoulou is set to play his first league match of 2015 after undergoing knee surgery in February and winger Andre Ayew returns from suspension.

Nantes head into the game in 11th spot but only five points clear of the drop zone, and with coach Michel der Zakarian keen for his team to make sure of their top-flight status for next term as soon as possible.

"For several matches, we have not conceded a lot of opportunities, but the opponent has hurt us every time," said Der Zakarian, whose side have lost their last two games.

He added on www.fcnantes.com: "We have had a good command of the ball. We have used the ball well up to the final third, but then there's not much. That's been our problem. And we have not been effective in our set-pieces.

"We must persevere, and put in a little more creativity and commitment to score.

"We must quickly take three or four points to maintain our status. We must remain lucid and win. There are six matches. There is no demobilisation of the group."