Balotelli Hoping to bounce back at Marseille

PARIS, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Italy striker Mario Balotelli is hoping to get back on track as he joined Olympique de Marseille from fellow Ligue 1 side Nice on a six-month contract on Wednesday.

The 28-year-old, who also played for Inter Milan, AC Milan, Manchester City and Liverpool, has yet to score a league goal this season after netting 33 from 51 Ligue 1 games in the two previous seasons.

Marseille are seventh in the standings, level on 31 points with eighth-placed Nice who have played a game more.

"When this happens the striker is responsible for the situation but sometimes there are external factors. I was supposed to leave at the beginning of the season, then I didn't leave," Balotelli told a news conference.

"But I will make up for it."

Asked what his ambitions were, he joked: "My ambition is to finish this news conference, go to training and see if I can play on Friday."

Marseille take on second-placed Lille on Friday, but coach Rudi Garcia said Balotelli would at best come off the bench.

"He hasn't played or trained for a month, it is impossible to see him start on Friday," Garcia told reporters.

"We will have to wait to see how long it takes him to be at 100 percent."