Europa League: Atalanta Double Hunt is Still On

Marseille vs Atalanta

Serie A’s UEFA coefficient got a huge boost because Atalanta and AS Roma have made it this far in the Europa League, and there’s a huge possibility that we will witness another all-Italian showdown in the final.

But, first things first, they must take care of business against Marseille and Bayer Leverkusen, respectively. And today at SBOTOP, we will cover the match between Marseille and Atalanta at the Stade Velodrome on Thursday evening.

Both sides are hunting for a piece of silverware this season, and the Europa League is their best bet, although Atalanta can realistically go for a double should they also win the Coppa Italia.

This tie promises to be a good one since both teams are capable of creating new Europa League 2024 highlights, and the results can go either way.

 

Talking Points

Marseille are going to be shorthanded

Marseille are not in their best form at the moment because they’ve been missing key players from all over the pitch, which is still going to be the case when they host Atalanta at the Stade Velodrome in the first leg.

Since their dramatic Europa League quarter-finals comeback over Benfica, Marseille were held to consecutive 2-2 draws against Toulouse and Nice before beating Lens 2-1 on Monday, their first win in six Ligue 1 matches.

Jean-Louis Gasset’s men will be looking for some home comfort because they’ve won their last five home games in Europe, so gaining the first-leg advantage is going to be essential.

Quarter-final hero Faris Moumbagna is set to return to the starting XI after serving his suspension, but centre-back Samuel Gigot is going to serve his on Thursday.

Fellow centre-back Chancel Mbemba is also ruled out due to a knee injury, and he’ll be joined in the medical room by Ismaila Sarr, Quentin Merlin, Bamo Meite, and Valentin Rongier.

If Marseille are going to advance to the final, it’ll likely be on the back of superb performances from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Amine Harit, and Jonathan Clauss, who have combined for 31 goals and 27 assists in all competitions this year.

 

Atalanta receive backline boost

In contrast, Gian Piero Gasperini will have more options to choose from, with only Isak Hien, Emil Holm, and Rafael Toloi unavailable on Thursday. Hien will have to serve his one-match ban, while Holm and Toloi are nursing injuries.

Because they’ll play three games in seven days, Gasperini will be forced to rotate his squad, especially up front. We envision him starting their top marksman, Gianluca Scamacca, alongside Ademola Lookman and Teun Koopmeiners in the final third, while El Bilal Toure and Charles De Ketelaere will likely come off the bench on Thursday.

With Hien sidelined, 20-year-old wunderkind Giorgio Scalvini should start once again because he’s healed from his hamstring injury, and he’ll be joined by Sead Kolasinac and Berat Djimsiti in the back three.

 

History

Thursday marks the first-ever competitive meeting between Marseille and Atalanta. It is worth noting that Marseille are winless in their last seven games against Serie A sides in European tournaments (D2, L5), with their last win being a 1-0 result over Inter Milan in the 2011-12 Champions League Round of 16.

Meanwhile, Atalanta have one win, one loss, and one draw against Ligue 1 sides in European competition. They took four points from Lyon in the 2017-18 Europa League group stage before losing 2-1 to PSG in the 2019-20 Champions League quarter-finals.

Marseille have a rich history in European competitions compared to Atalanta, as they’ve won the Champions League in 1992-93 and had Europa League runner-up finishes in 1990-91, 1998-99, 2003-04, and 2017-18.

On the other hand, Atalanta have never won in Europe and are looking for their first major trophy since 1963, when they won the Coppa Italia.

 

Betting Tip

The Europa League 2024 odds expect a tight affair between Marseille and Atalanta on Thursday. Because they’re playing at home, Marseille were given the slight advantage at 2.34, whereas Atalanta are not far behind at 2.75, and a draw is at 3.22 in the 1X2 market.

However, given that they are in better form and have a more balanced roster at the moment, we feel that Atalanta could eke out a narrow win in the first leg, which may spell the difference in this semi-final tie.

As mentioned earlier, both sides are expected to generate goals, so you may look into alternative bets like Over 2.50 at 1.90, Over 2.75 at 2.17, Total Goal 2-3 at 1.92, and even Total Goal 4.-6 at 3.25.

   

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