Olympique Marseille open the new Ligue 1 campaign tonight against Strasbourg at home (21.45), but the impression is that no one at Stade Velodrome is ready for the kick-off.A change in the dugout and the arrival of experienced coach Bruno Genesio could benefit the team, but the squad at his disposal is significantly weaker than last season.##EDITORS_CHOICE##Mason Greenwood and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – the two key players who combined for 40 goals and 21 assists in the previous campaign – left for Fenerbahce and Deportivo A Coruna, respectively, as did the Argentina internationals and 2026 World Cup finalists, Facundo Medina and Geronimo Rulli, who joined Bayer Leverkusen and Manchester City.On the other hand, Marseille's only notable addition is not even a new arrival, as L'OM made Timothy Weah's loan move from Juventus permanent, splashing out €14.4 million to sign him.To make matters worse, the atmosphere in the team seems to have taken a serious hit, all because of a situation that indirectly involves the US international.Marseille captain Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg was recently on the verge of a £15 million move to Newcastle United, as new Magpies boss Matthias Jaissle saw the Dane as a perfect replacement for Bruno Guimaraes, who had joined Arsenal.However, the 31-year-old rejected the move, which angered L'OM owner Frank McCourt so much – because of the club's poor financial situation – that he personally punished Hojbjerg by stripping him of the captaincy!🚨 Pierre-Emile Højbjerg has been stripped of the Marseille captaincy after reportedly refusing a move to Newcastle United.Marseille and Newcastle had reached an agreement worth around £15 million, but the 31-year-old midfielder decided he wanted to remain in France and… pic.twitter.com/46AREcOGoR— Bop Daddy ⚪️🔴 (@awoyemijoshua61) August 15, 2026 Even manager Genesio himself bluntly admitted that the drastic decision wasn't his own, but was imposed from above."It is a decision that was dictated to me by the club's management. "If I want to be completely frank, and I will be, it is not a decision that I agree with. But I am an employee – I have to comply with certain obligations. We did it," the tactician said after his team's final friendly match against Atletico Madrid last week, via Yahoo Sports.Aubameyang opens about Marseille failureConsequently, the armband went to Weah, but such a radical move must have left lingering tension within the team.The clash against Strasbourg will show whether, and to what extent, it has affected Genesio's men.LIGUE 1 – MATCHDAY 1Friday21.45: (1.85) Olympique Marseille (4.10) Strasbourg (4.20)Saturday18.15: (1.62) Lens (4.50) Auxerre (5.50)21.45: (2.55) Le Mans (3.30) Brest (2.80)21.45: (2.15) Nice (3.45) Lorient (3.35)21.45: (2.95) Toulouse (3.50) Olympique Lyon (2.50)21.45: (3.05) Troyes (3.45) Paris (2.30)Sunday16.00: (5.50) Angers (3.70) Lille (1.75)18.15: (3.60) Le Havre (4.00) Monaco (1.95)21.45: (6.00) Rennes (4.40) PSG (1.55)***odds are subject to change***
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