Depleted Marseille Battle Bayern Munich

Olympique Marseille are on their knees and will have two key players missing when they host formidable Bayern Munich in their Champions League quarter-final first leg today but hope springs eternal.

While Marseille have lost seven of their last eight games in all competitions, Bayern have scored 22 goals in their last five games and head to Provence beaming with confidence.

Marseille, who put an end to their losing streak with a 1-1 draw at Nice in Ligue 1 last Saturday, will be without goalkeeper Steve Mandanda and centre back Souleymane Diawara through suspension.

Senegal’s Diawara will also miss the rest of the season after he sustained a serious knee injury at Nice.

Mandanda will be replaced by Gennaro Bracigliano, whose blunder handed third division Quevilly a 3-2 extra-time win in a French Cup quarter-final last week.

The former Nancy keeper believes his team can still cause an upset against the Germans.

“Hope does not care about logic,” said Bracigliano.

Marseille can draw comfort from beating Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund twice in the Champions League group phase this season.

Last Saturday’s draw at Nice was also hard-fought as they snatched a point despite playing the second half with 10 men, following Charles Kabore’s dismissal on the stroke of halftime.

“The bleeding has not stopped yet but at least we have put a bandage on it,” coach Didier Deschamps told reporters.

Deschamps may also be able to count on Loic Remy, who missed last Saturday’s game with a thigh problem but could partner Mathieu Valbuena at the Stade Velodrome after his France team mate returned from an injury layoff against Nice.

Marseille fans wishing to be upbeat ahead of their first appearance in the last eight since winning the competition in 1993 will wince when looking at Bayern’s recent displays.

The four-times European Cup winners tightened their grip on second spot in the Bundesliga with a 2-1 win over Hanover 96 last Saturday.

“We are thinking straight and are very confident,” former Marseille midfielder Franck Ribery said. “We will prepare very well for this game to get the good result we want,” he said.