There have been 2 previous competitive matches between the two coaches, with Ranieri yet to win: 1 win for Deschamps and 1 draw. The previous ones refer to the home-and-away semi-final challenge in the 2003/04 Champions League when Deschamps' Monaco eliminated Ranieri's Chelsea (3-1 in the first leg followed by a 2-2 draw in London), thus arriving in the final. Monaco were then defeated 3-0 by Mourinho's Porto in Gelsenkirchen.

This is the 3rd competitive match between the two teams and Olympique Marseille have always defeated Inter, in both cases 1-0. The previous meetings were in the quarter-finals of the 2003/04 UEFA Cup with Drogba scoring the 46th-minute winner in the first leg in France, followed by Meriem's 74th minute winner in Milan. Olympique Marseille went on to reach the final of the competition, in which they were defeated 0-2 by Valencia in Gothenburg.

There have been 16 previous meetings between Olympique Marseille and Italian teams, including 2 against Inter, with a record of 6 French wins (including the 1992/93 Champions League final won 1-0 against AC Milan in Munich), 5 draws and 5 Italian wins (including the final of the 1998/99 UEFA Cup won 3-0 by Parma in Moscow). The record of the 7 matches played in Marseille is as follows: 4 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses.

There have been 27 previous competitive matches between Inter and French teams, including those against Olympique Marseille, for a record of 11 Nerazzurri wins, 9 draws and 7 French wins. Inter are taking part in their 14th away match to France and so far enjoy a record of 5 wins, 4 draws and 4 defeats.

This is the sixth home-and-away challenge between Olympique Marseille and an Italian club. So far the French team has a record of 4 successes and 1 elimination. The four successes came in the 1990/91 European Cup against AC Milan, in the 1998/99 UEFA Cup against Bologna, in the 2003/04 UEFA Cup against Inter, and in the 2006 Intertoto Cup against Lazio. Their elimination occurred in the 1972/73 European Cup against Juventus.

The last competitive goal scored at a home match in Europe by Olympique Marseille came on 28 September 2011 in the Champions League when they beat Borussia Dortmund 3-0. The goalscorer was A. Ayew in the 69th minute. From that point, including the remaining 21 minutes of that match, plus the entire Champions League matches lost against Arsenal and Olympiacos F.C., both by a 0-1 scoreline, there have been a total of 201 minutes without a goal scored.

Olympique Marseille are coming off of two consecutive home defeats in the Champions League after the Arsenal and Olympiacos F.C. matches (both 0-1). The last positive result for the French team came at the Stade Vélodrome in a 3-0 win over Borussia Dortmund last 28 September. But the French team has never lost 3 consecutive home matches in European competition. In fact, they have lost two consecutive matches just three other times: the first in the 2003/04 Champions League, the second between the 2008/09 UEFA Cup and the 2009/10 Champions League, and the third between the 2009/10 Europa League and the 2010/11 Champions League.

This is the 11th home-and-away elimination series between Inter and a French club and until now the Nerazzurri have a record of 9 successes and 1 elimination. The successes have come against: Lyon (1958/60 Fairs Cup), Monaco (1963/64 European Cup), Nantes (twice: 1980/81 European Cup, 1985/86 UEFA Cup), Guingamp (1996/97 UEFA Cup), Monaco (1996/97 UEFA Cup), Lyon (1997/98 UEFA Cup), Strasbourg (1997/98 UEFA Cup), and Sochaux (2003/04 UEFA Cup). The one elimination suffered came at the hands of Marseille in the 2003/04 UEFA Cup.

Inter are only one step away from their 200th victory in international competition. The current 199 wins are divided as such: 81 in the European Cup/Champions League, 6 in the Cup Winners' Cup, 89 in the Fairs Cup/UEFA Cup, 5 in the Intercontinental/Club World Cup, 1 in the Coppa delle Alpi, 1 in the Coppa Piano Rappan, 1 in the Anglo Italian Cup, 4 in the Mundialito Clubs and 11 in the Mitropa Cup. The first international victory for Inter - then called Ambrosiana - came on 15 July 1930 in a 2-4 win away to Ujpest Dozsa in the Mitropa Cup.

The last competitive goal scored by Inter came on 1 February in the Serie A in the 4-4 draw at home against Palermo. Each of Inter's goals was scored by Milito, the last one coming in the 69th minute. From that moment, including the remaining 21 minutes of the match, plus the full matches lost against Roma (0-4 away), Novara (0-1 home) and Bologna (0-3 home), there have been a total of 291 goalless minutes. The last competitive away goal was scored on 15 January in the Serie A against AC Milan in a 1-0 victory. The scorer was Milito in the 54th minute. From that moment, including the remaining 36 minutes of that match, as well as the losses to Napoli (0-2 in the Coppa Italia), Lecce and Roma (0-1 and 0-4 respectively in Serie A), there have been a total of 306 goalless minutes away from home.

Cuneyt Cakir, born in Turkey in 1976 and an international since 2006, will officiate a match with Olympique Marseille for the second time; the previous one came in their 3-1 win against Copenhagen FC in the 2009/10 Europa League. The Turkish ref will officiate a competitive match for Inter for the second time; the previous one coming in a 0-3 loss away to Werder Bremen in the 2010/11 Champions League. Including his previous match with Olympique, it will be Cakir's third competitive one involving a French team, with one win and one loss. It will be Cakir's fifth competitive match involving an Italian team, including a previous one with Inter, and the record is 1 win (Sturm Graz 1-2 Juventus in the 2010/11 Europa League) and 3 defeats (including the Nerazzurri loss mentioned above, Valencia 3-2 Genoa in the 2009/10 Europa League and Villarreal 2-1 Napoli in the 2010/11 Europa League).

starting lineups

substitutes