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Marrakech– The race for UEFA Champions League playoffs heats up as 22nd-placed Olympique Marseille host 19th-placed Atalanta tonight, as part of league phase Matchday 4 action.
As it currently stands, the two clubs are direct rivals for playoff berths. Tonight’s game will be pivotal for both teams’ hopes to progress past the league phase.
Marseille have only won one of their three games in the competition, so far. Their lone home game resulted in a 4-0 victory over Dutch visitors Ajax during Matchday 2. Away from the Stade Velodrome, they have lost 2-1 to both Real Madrid and Sporting Lisbon, in Matchdays 1 and 3, respectively.
Atalanta’s record in the Champions League this season is only slightly better than that of their hosts. The Italians opened their campaign with a 4-0 loss facing PSG at Parc des Princes. At home, they’ve won 2-1 at home vs Club Brugge but were held to a goalless draw in matchday 3 by Slavia Prague.
Match Details:
- Fixture: Olympique de Marseille vs Atalanta
- Competition: UEFA Champions League (League Phase, Matchday 4)
- Venue: Stade Velodrome (Marseille)
- Date: Wednesday, Nov 5
- Kick-off: 9 p.m. (GMT+1)
- Referee: Jose Maria Sanchez Martinez (Spain)
- Where to watch: beIn SPORTS 1 (MENA), Canal+, Paramount+, Movistar+
Marseille Team News
Roberto de Zerbi’s squad will be missing a long list of players.
After a concerning on-field collapse against Angers on October 29, Moroccan midfielder Bilal Nadir has been left out of the team as he continues his recovery. The collapse, thankfully, wasn’t an indicator of any serious health issues, according to De Zerbi.
“Luckily, Nadir had some checks done and it’s nothing serious. Apparently, he was just a bit dehydrated and had a drop in blood pressure,” the Italian manager declared in a press conference.
Nadir is only one out of seven key players that Marseille will be missing due to injury. Medina (ankle), Balerdi (calf), Weah (thigh), Kondogbia (calf), Traoré (thigh), and Gouiri (shoulder) have all been ruled unfit to play tonight.
Additionally, Italian left-back Emerson will also miss the match due to suspension, after being sent off against Sporting Lisbon in Matchday 3.
On the more positive side for Marseille, Moroccan international Nayef Aguerd, initially announced doubtful to feature, has been included in today’s squad. The center-back is a valuable asset for De Zerbi’s side, and could even start tonight, according to L’Equipe.
A player to watch for Marseille will be Igor Paixao. The Brazilian winger has registered three goals and an assist in his last two starts for Marseille in the Champions League, and will seek to add to that tally tonight.
Expected Lineup: (4-2-3-1) Rulli- Murillo, Pavard, Aguerd, Garcia- Vermeeren, Hojbjerg (C)- Greenwood, O’Riley, Paixao-Aubameyang
Atalanta Team News
After an encouraging start to the season under newly appointed Croatian manager Ivan Juric, Atalanta’s form dipped during the month of October, which they concluded without a single win. They have drawn four of their last five fixtures, and their most recent result was a 1-0 loss to Udinese in Serie A during the weekend.
Tonight, Juric’s side will be without their star young center-back Giorgio Scalvini, who’s recovering from a hamstring injury suffered on Oct 19 vs Lazio.
Expect Juric’s side to line up in their typical 3-4-3 shape, with wingbacks Zappacosta and Zalewski providing the necessary width for creative players such as Ademola Lookman and Charles de Ketelaere to find spaces in between the Marseille defensive lines.
A player to watch for Atlanta will be Ademola Lookman. Current holder of the African Ballon d’Or award, Lookman is a player who thrives in a wide spectrum of situations. Atalanta’s gameplan will seek to platform the Nigerian forward in isolation scenarios against defenders, or try to find him either in-between, or behind, Marseille defensive lines.
Key statistic: 64% of Atalanta’s expected goals in the Champions League this year have come from dead-ball situations, the second-highest figure among participating clubs, behind only AS Monaco, highlighting their inability to constantly generate danger from open-play.
Expected Lineup: (3-4-3) Carnesecchi- Kossounou, Hien, Djimsiti- Zappacosta, Ederson, Pasalic (C), Zalewski- De Ketelaere, Lookman, Krstovic.
Score Prediction: Marseille 2 – 0 Atalanta
