Marseille were originally scheduled to kick off the new season at home to AS Saint-Etienne but a wave of positive coronavirus tests at the club mean the fixture was postponed until mid-September.

OM did not confirm which players had tested positive for the virus, although Villas-Boas confirmed at his pre-match press conference that he would be without Payet, Alvaro Gonzalez and Bouna Sarr for the trip to the Stade Francis-Le Blé.

"The tactical set-up will remain the same but we'll miss our leaders in Payet, Alvara and also Bouna Sarr," said the Portuguese. "It's a match that we want to win to get start the season well. Pre-season results aren't important now. We have quality throughout the squad but don't have too many options because of the missing players."

Watch: Highlights of Marseille's 2-1 win over Brest last season

Marseille's last match was a narrow 1-0 friendly loss to eventual European champions Bayern Munich in Germany at the end of last July. Villas Boas used 21 players at the FC Bayern Campus, although Greek striker Kostas Mitroglou was not one of them.

"We told him he's welcome to come and train with us but I told him I wasn't counting on him," Villas-Boas explained of the target man who spent the second half of last season on loan at Galatasary and then PSV Eindhoven. "I wish him the best for the future. We're still looking for an attacker."

Dario Benedetto - following his 11-goal maiden campaign in the French top-flight - remains Marseille's first choice up front. His Argentina international teammate Leonardo Balerdi could be in line for a competitive debut at centre-back having joined on loan for Borussia Dortmund, meanwhile.

Depleted or not, Marseille will be optimistic of overcoming a side they beat 2-1 last September. Brest were 14th last season when play was interrupted, 12 places and 22 points worse off than Sunday's opponents, and they could barely have got off to a worse start this term, losing 4-0 at Nîmes Olympique.

Watch: Highlights of Brest's 4-0 loss at Nîmes

New signing Franck Honorat, the former Saint-Etienne winger, was subbed off at half-time, while fellow new arrival Christophe Hérelle is a doubt to make his debut, the big centre-back working his way towards match fitness after arriving from OGC Nice.

Villas-Boas's opposite number Olivier Dall'Oglio might be expected to shuffle his pack against Marseille, injuries or not.

"Paul Lasne has a groin injury and couldn't train this week," he lamented. "Cristian Battocchio may have a thigh problem, we'll see. In central defense, I can put a defensive midfielder like Hianga'a Mbock, or a full-back like Ludovic Baal. Hianga'a is strong but inexperienced; Ludo prefers it being wide but can do a job."

Possible line-ups

Brest: Larsonneur; Pierre-Gabriel, Mbock, Duverne, Faussurier; Belkebla, Diallo; Charbonnier, Faivre, Tavares; Cordona

Marseille: Mandanda; Sakai, Balerdi, Caleta-Car, Amavi; Kamara; Thauvin, Sanson, Rongier, Radonjic; Benedetto