Marseille will be without Hamed Junior Traoré for their Ligue 1 clash against Nice on Sunday evening at the Stade Vélodrome.
The Ivorian midfielder, currently on loan from Bournemouth, has been ruled out due to illness, adding him to a growing list of absentees for the 31st matchday fixture.
Traoré’s absence came as a surprise after he was seen training with a heavy bandage around his knee earlier in the week, raising hopes he might feature despite ongoing fitness struggles.
Recruited in the summer to bolster Marseille’s attack, the 26-year-old has endured a difficult season plagued by injuries, limiting his involvement since joining the club.
He joins six other players already ruled out: Nayef Aguerd, CJ Egan-Riley, Geoffrey Kondogbia, Bilal Nadir, Amine Gouiri and Igor Paixao, all sidelined with various injuries.
Despite the depleted squad, Marseille will rely on emerging talent in attack, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Mason Greenwood and Ethan Nwaneri supported by youngsters Ange Lago, Ugo Lamare and Tadjidine Mmadi in the forward line.
The match is set to kick off at 8:45 p.m. Local time, as Marseille seem to overcome their injury crisis in pursuit of a vital Ligue 1 victory.
