Stade Velodrome sets the stage for the first leg of a handsomely-looking Europa League semi-final tie between Marseille and Atalanta. La Dea did the unthinkable in the quarter-finals to set up their first appearance in major European semi-finals since 1987/88 and, in turn, their first-ever meeting with Les Olympiens.
Both teams made bookmakers look silly in the previous knockout round. Marseille, formerly coached by Milan legend Gennaro Gattuso, squeezed past a more heavily fancied Benfica on penalties. Jean-Louis Gasset’s side hauled back a 2-1 first-leg deficit with a narrow 1-0 home win on home turf and kept their composure in the shoot-out.
Atalanta achieved what many thought was impossible in the quarter-finals as they thumped Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield before going down 1-0 at home in the return leg. It’s time to rewrite the club’s history and book tickets for their first-ever major UEFA final, not to mention secure a chance to secure an unprecedented double.
Match Preview
Marseille
It’s been a season of ups and downs, highlighted by three managerial changes at the Velodrome in less than a year. Gattuso’s successor, Gasset, has restored hope within the city following a rough patch at the start of the calendar year. Marseille’s renaissance under his tutelage includes a four-game unbeaten run in the build-up to this clash (W2, D2).
Buoyed by a 2-1 home win against Lens in Ligue 1 over the weekend, Les Olympiens come into proceedings hellbent on bucking a negative trend against Italian clubs. They have failed to win any of their last seven meetings with Serie A teams in European football (D2, L5), underscoring the size of the task awaiting them on Thursday.
However, Marseille have been a force to be reckoned with at home, winning seven consecutive Europa League knockout games at the Velodrome. On top of that, they’ve only lost twice in their last 18 European home matches (W12, D4), bolstering Gasset’s endeavor to win his first trophy as a manager at the age of 70!
Atalanta
Gasperini is only four years younger than his Marseille counterpart, and like him, he’s on a quest to lift his first piece of silverware as a coach. The 66-year-old can draw confidence from La Dea’s form resurgence after Liverpool’s futile triumph in Bergamo. Goals from Mario Pasalic and Ademola Lookman inspired Atalanta to a 2-0 home win against Serie A minnows Empoli last Sunday.
It was the Gewiss Stadium outfit’s third consecutive triumph, a run which includes a superb 4-1 home win against Fiorentina in the Coppa Italia semi-finals. Hitting the road should not derail the Italians’ hopes of ensuring a satisfying result in France, not least because Atalanta are unbeaten across their last eight Europa League away games (W5, D3).
Topically, following two consecutive away losses in all competitions, they’ve won back-to-back games on hostile turf by a combined score of 5-1. Furthermore, the history books favor Atalanta as they’ve only lost a first-leg clash twice in their last 16 two-legged ties in UEFA competition (W6, D8).
Team News
Marseille will be without a host of first-team stars on Thursday. Valentin Rongier, Bamo Meite, Bilal Nadir, Chancel Mbemba, and Quentin Merlin are in the treatment room, while vice-captain Samuel Gigot serves a one-game ban for accumulated yellow cards.
Gasset’s most lethal weapon is fit and firing, though. Europa League all-time top-scorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been in red-hot form in recent weeks. Ex-Roma playmaker Jordan Veretout will be out to feed his center-forward up front.
On the other hand, Atalanta can’t call upon the services of Emil Holm and Rafael Toloi. Both are struggling with injuries and will stay on the sidelines. The same goes for winter signing Isak Hien, who picked up a disqualifying yellow card against Liverpool last time out.
Gianluca Scamacca and Teun Koopmeiners will return to the starting XI after being rested against Empoli at the expense of El Bial Toure and Aleksey Miranchuk, respectively.
Marseille vs Atalanta Potential Lineups
Marseille (3-5-2): Pau Lopez; Amir Murillo, Pape Gueye, Leonardo Balerdi; Jonathan Clauss, Amine Harit, Jordan Veretout, Geoffrey Kondogbia, Ulisses Garcia; Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Faris Moumbagna.
Atalanta (3-4-2-1): Marco Carnesecchi; Berat Djimsiti, Giorgio Scalvini, Sead Kolasinac; Davide Zappacosta, Marten de Roon, Ederson, Matteo Ruggeri; Teun Koopmeiners, Ademola Lookman; Gianluca Scamacca.
Marseille vs Atalanta Prediction
While we wouldn’t put it past Atalanta to return from France victorious, Marseille’s well-documented home prowess makes it equally challenging to write them off before the kick-off. It’s a near-certainty that the winner of this tie will remain unknown until the final whistle in Bergamo, but we expect La Dea to take home a draw.
Prediction: Draw
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