Atalanta Dreaming of First European Final
Marseille vs Atalanta Lines Tight Ahead of Europa League Semifinal
Marseille Rarely Lose at Velodrome
On Sunday, Marseille got their first Ligue 1 victory for seven weeks when they defeated Lens 2-1. While wins have been few and far between for OM, they have managed to qualify for the Europa League Semifinal. They’ll host first time Semifinalists Atalanta on Thursday, who are buzzing after taking down Liverpool in the Quarterfinal.
Atalanta also advanced to the Coppa Italia Final last week and are playing with confidence heading into this one. Still, the first leg Marseille vs Atalanta lines are implying this could be a relatively close match. We’ll take a closer look at the odds and match facts as Marseille have lost just one home match all season.
Marseille vs Atalanta 
Day/Time:
Location: Stade Velodrome, Marseille, France
Marseille vs Atalanta Head-to-Head:
This is the first opportunity to bet on Marseille vs Atalanta lines on the Europa League schedule. It’s also Atalanta’s fourth ever match vs French opposition in a UEFA competition. La Dea lost 2-1 to Paris Saint-Germain in a COVID-induced single leg Champions League Quarter-Final in 2020. They also beat Lyon 1-0 and drew 1-1 in the 2018 Europa League Group Stage.
Each of Marseille’s last four matches vs Italian sides have been vs Lazio and OM went 0-2-2 in those games. In fact, Marseille haven’t won any of their last six games vs Italian teams dating back to 2012.
Marseille Boom or Bust Under Gasset
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored his fastest-ever Ligue 1 goal when he found the net just 55 seconds in vs Lens on Sunday. Iliman Ndiaye sent in a cross that the Gabonese striker, who’s the Europa League’s all-time leading scorer, guided home.
Lens got a second half equalizer but Aubameyang provided an assist for Pape Gueye on Marseille’s winner. Aubameyang has been one of the few bright spots for OM this season.
He’s managed a goal contribution in four of his last five games and leads the Europa League this season, with 10 goals. He provided the assist for Faris Moumbagna that sent the Quarter-Final second leg vs Benfica into extra time. After a scoreless extra time period, Marseille ended up winning 4-2 as Marseille keeper Pau Lopez saved Antonio Silva’s effort.
Of all of the remaining four teams, Marseille have the longest Europa League odds to win the competition. They’ve been up and down all season and Jean-Louis Gasset’s tenure has been especially boom or bust. Marseille kicked off his appointment with five straight wins. Since then, they’ve only won two of their last nine games.
However, they are unbeaten in their last four matches, in all competitions. Currently, Quentin Merlin, Bamo Meite and Valentin Rongier are all out injured for OM. Defender Chancel Mbemba is also a doubt.
Atalanta Have Chance to Win First Two Major Trophies
Despite sitting outside of Serie A’s top four, the last few weeks couldn’t have gone much better for Atalanta. La Dea shocked Liverpool at Anfield en route to a 3-0 first leg UEL Quarter-Final victory.
The Reds couldn’t overcome the deficit as Atalanta advanced to just their second European Semifinal and first in the UEL with a 3-1 aggregate victory. After a 2-1 victory at Monza, Atalanta took on Fiorentina last Wednesday in the second leg of the Coppa Italia Semifinal.
La Dea trailed 1-0 entering the night but managed to pick up a 4-1 victory as they scored twice in stoppage time. Gianluca Scamacca has been in stellar form lately, with seven goals in his last seven appearances. Attacking midfielder Teun Koopmeiners has also been key for Gian Piero Gasperini.
On Sunday, Empoli couldn’t hold a candle to Atalanta and La Dea cruised to an easy 2-0 victory in which Mario Pasalic and Ademola Lookman scored.
Atalanta have never won a major trophy and they have the chance to win two this season. It’s a testament to their progress and persistence under Gasperini. Atalanta finished in first place in the Group D UEL standings and went unbeaten. Their only loss in 10 2023-24 Europa League matches was at home to Liverpool. Rafael Toloi and Emil Holm are currently the only names on La Dea’s injury list.
Match Analysis & Odds
If Atalanta can win convincingly at Anfield, they can win anywhere. La Dea are not to be underestimated but the Marseille vs Atalanta lines price OM as favorites for Thursday’s match. Marseille come in at +140 moneyline odds. Meanwhile, bettors can take Atalanta at +190 odds. It is significant that Marseille’s only loss at the Stade Velodrome this season was to PSG, though.
Even with their poor form, they’ve managed to at least pull off draws in front of their home fans. Plus, they have outscored their opponents 8-1 at home in three Europa League knockout stage games. While Atalanta are capable of winning this match even with Marseille’s home record, a draw (+225) would also be a good result for La Dea. Currently, bettors can also back Marseille pk, -0.5 at -105 odds and Atalanta pk, +0.5 at -125.
While both teams have been prone to inconsistent stretches this season, there’s a distinct hunger for Atalanta to win this competition. They came out firing against Liverpool and Marseille’s mistakes will certainly be pounced on. Notably, Marseille have conceded two goals or more in seven of their last ten matches. Still, under 2.5 goals show -115 odds for this one.
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