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Marseille vs Atalanta Preview
In the first leg of the UEFA Europa League semi-final, French side Marseille will face Italian team Atalanta. The match is scheduled to take place on Thursday, May 2nd, at the Orange Velodrome in Marseille.
Both teams have traversed a lengthy path to reach the top four teams in the Europa League. Marseille navigated through the playoff stage by overcoming Ukrainian side Shakhtar (2-2, 3-1), Spanish outfit Villarreal (4-0, 1-3), and Portuguese giants Benfica (1-2, 1-0 (4-2 after penalties)). Meanwhile, Atalanta topped their group, thus bypassing the round of 32. In the round of 16, they defeated Portuguese club Sporting (1-1, 2-1), and in the quarter-finals, they sensationally knocked out Liverpool (3-0, 0-1).
Bookmakers favour Atalanta to progress to the final, offering odds of around 1.45-1.50. The chances for Marseille to continue their trophy pursuit are evaluated more modestly, with odds ranging from 2.50 to 2.60.
Regarding the first leg match, bookmakers have set relatively equal odds. Based on the Marseille vs Atalanta odds, betting on a Marseille victory yields around 2.50-2.60, while the probability of success for Atalanta is estimated at odds of 2.80-2.90. A draw is priced at odds around 3.50-3.65.
Let's assess the current form and motivation of the opponents before the upcoming encounter and select the most reliable Marseille vs Atalanta tips.
Marseille Preview
The French club wasn't favoured in the quarter-finals against Benfica but managed to secure progression to the semi-finals, albeit not without difficulties - the second leg ended with a penalty shootout, which Marseille won. It was the victory over Benfica in the home leg that kickstarted Marseille's unbeaten streak, which now spans four matches (2 wins, 2 draws). Last weekend, under the guidance of Jean Louis Gasset, they defeated Lens (2-1) and climbed to seventh place in Ligue 1. They are now only two points behind the sixth place, which guarantees European football participation next season.
For the match against Atalanta, Marseille will be without several key players - Bilal Nadir and Bamo Maite won't be available for the upcoming matches, while Valentin Roniger is expected to return only at the beginning of the next season.
Atalanta Preview
April has been a fruitful month for Atalanta. In addition to reaching the Europa League semi-finals, they have made it to the final of the Coppa Italia, where they will face Juventus. In their last six matches, they suffered only one defeat - at home against Liverpool (0-1), but still managed to progress to the Europa League semi-finals. During this period, they secured four wins and had one draw.
Atalanta has yet to lose away from home in the current Europa League campaign. In five away matches, the Italian club has secured three wins and two draws.
Emil Holm and Rafael Toloi will definitely miss the match at the Orange Velodrome, although the latter is likely to be ready for the return leg in Bergamo.
Marseille vs Atalanta Betting Tips
The two teams will face each other for the first time in history. Marseille has been performing exceptionally well at home this season - they suffered their first home defeat only at the end of March (0-2 against PSG). Fueled by the enthusiastic crowd at the Orange Velodrome, Jean Louis Gasset's team is likely to adopt an attacking approach for the game. Meanwhile, Atalanta excels in counter-attacks and will likely seek to capitalize on Marseille's mistakes. We anticipate an exciting attacking game on Thursday, and as for the Marseille vs Atalanta prediction, we lean towards a high-scoring affair. Our tip for this game is Over 2.5 goals at odds of 1.93.
