The semi-finals of the Europa League kick off this week! A French club is still in contention in the European competition. It's Olympique de Marseille! Despite a challenging season in Ligue 1, finishing 7th, the Marseille team has managed to reach the final four of the C3. They will face Atalanta Bergamo for a spot in the final. The first leg will take place at the Stade Vélodrome, this Thursday at 3:00 PM EST. Jean-Louis Gasset's team will try to put themselves in the best position before traveling to Italy. However, it won't be an easy task against the current 6th place team in Serie A, who notably eliminated Liverpool in the Europa League.
It's been a tale of two sides for OM since the beginning of the season! Even though they have just returned to winning ways in Ligue 1 against RC Lens (2-1), the Marseille club is only in 6th place in the standings. In the Europa League, however, Marseille has been much more convincing. They emerged from a very tough group, including Ajax Amsterdam and Brighton among others. Subsequently, Jean-Louis Gasset's team managed to overcome Shakhtar Donetsk, Villarreal CF, and especially Benfica Lisbon. Against the Portuguese club, they prevailed in the penalty shootout! Now, OM will face Atalanta Bergamo. La Dea is in a tight battle to qualify for the Champions League in Serie A, sitting in 6th position in the standings, with the 5th place now qualifying for the C1. In the C3, the Bergamo club has also shown great strength. They topped their group and then eliminated Sporting CP and notably Liverpool in the knockout rounds. Gian Piero Gasperini's men even secured a convincing victory at Anfield (0-3)!
The infirmary has been quite full for a while now on the OM side. Bamo Meïté, Valentin Rongier, and Bilal Nadir are still unavailable. To make matters worse, Samuel Gigot is suspended for this first-leg match. Michael Murillo, who was injured against RC Lens, is also uncertain. The same goes for Chancel Mbemba, Quentin Merlin, and Emran Soglo! However, Jean-Louis Gasset can rely on the excellent form of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The Marseille striker has scored a total of 27 goals in all competitions, including 10 in this edition of the Europa League. In the ranks of Atalanta Bergamo, Isak Hien is suspended for this trip to Marseille. Rafael Toloi and Emil Holm are injured. Gianluca Scamacca was briefly uncertain due to a muscular problem but is expected to be present for this match. He will be one of the players to watch, as he is in great form at the moment (5 goals in his last 5 appearances).
Marseille - Atalanta Key Points
The "both teams to score" bet has been successful in the last 3 matches of OM.
The "both teams to score" bet has been successful in 2 of OM's last 3 matches in the Europa League.
The "both teams to score" bet has been successful in 4 out of 6 matches of OM at the Stade Vélodrome.
The "both teams to score" bet has been successful in 2 of the last 3 matches of Atalanta Bergamo.
The "both teams to score" bet has been successful in the last 2 away matches of Atalanta Bergamo in Serie A.
Atalanta Bergamo remains the favorite in this double confrontation. However, we know how challenging it can be to play at the Stade Vélodrome. Expect to see an OM team more motivated than ever in front of its fans, who will do everything to stay in the game before traveling to Italy. It wouldn't be surprising to see a few goals, as both teams' attacks are confident. Our prediction for OM vs Atalanta Bergamo: both teams to score!
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