Sports Mole previews Wednesday’s Champions League clash between Marseille and Atalanta BC, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Separated by one place and one point in the Champions League standings, both Marseille and Atalanta BC will be seeking their second victory of the campaign when they clash on Wednesday.
The hosts trail their visitors but are in better form on the domestic front, ahead of an intriguing contest at Stade Velodrome.
Match preview
So far, it has been a familiar mix of home joy and away despair for Marseille in this season’s Champions League, having opened with a close-fought loss to Real Madrid in Spain before outclassing Ajax at the Velodrome.
Last time out, OM were beaten 2-1 by Sporting Lisbon in the Portuguese capital, after letting an early lead slip through their grasp: the game turned when Emerson Palmieri was sent off in first-half stoppage time, allowing Sporting to bite back after the break.
That fits a longstanding pattern: the former continental champions have consistently struggled to pick up points on the road around Europe, losing 12 of their last 13 Champions League away games.
Yet, by stark contrast, Marseille are unbeaten in eight UEFA competition home fixtures and have lost just two of their last 20.
Head coach Roberto De Zerbi will hope to fall back on that record against Atalanta, as his team have recently stumbled after making an eye-catching start to the season.
Sparked by their loss in Lisbon, OM went into Saturday’s Ligue 1 clash with Auxerre having collected just one point from three matches while conceding six goals.
Nonetheless, an Angel Gomes goal secured victory despite going down to 10 men again, with Ulisses Garcia seeing red.
As a result, De Zerbi’s side are tucked just behind perennial French champions Paris Saint-Germain, sitting second in the league table.
Having won just one of his previous nine meetings with Wednesday’s opponents, the Italian tactician will be doubly keen to get one over on La Dea, who beat Marseille in a major semi-final less than two years ago.
After a 1-1 draw in France, Atalanta’s 3-0 second-leg success in Bergamo took them through to the 2024 Europa League final, where they claimed the club’s first European silverware.
Since then, inspirational coach Gian Piero Gasperini has departed, and the Nerazzurri are finding life much tougher under his successor Ivan Juric.
Atalanta sit 10th in Serie A after finally suffering their first league loss on Saturday, when they were beaten 1-0 by Udinese without recording a single shot on target.
The Bergamaschi had previously posted seven draws and just two wins on the domestic scene, while winning only one of their first three matches in the Champions League.
Last time out, La Dea drew 0-0 with Slavia Prague in a game that featured the most shots without a goal being scored in UEFA’s top tournament (38), having previously been thumped 4-0 by PSG before beating Club Brugge.
Far from the fluent team of recent years, Juric’s side are struggling to convert their chances, so they may hope to draw on past experience for this week’s trip to Provence.
Atalanta have lost just two of their last 17 European group or league-phase fixtures, while only Inter Milan and Arsenal have kept more Champions League clean sheets since the start of last season.
Marseille Champions League form:
L W L
Marseille form (all competitions):
W W L L D W
Atalanta BC Champions League form:
L W D
Atalanta BC form (all competitions):
D D D D D L
Team News
After making several changes – including to his formation – at the weekend, it remains to be seen how maverick manager De Zerbi sets Marseille up in midweek.
Brazilian winger Igor Paixao is set to be recalled, having already scored three Champions League goals this season – two set up by evergreen striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
While Emerson must serve a suspension for his red card against Sporting, Geoffrey Kondogbia, Hamed Traore and Amine Gouiri are all sidelined by injury; Leonardo Balerdi and Timothy Weah remain doubtful.
Meanwhile, Atalanta’s long absence list has continued to clear, as both captain Marten de Roon and Italy forward Daniel Maldini have returned to training.
So, Juric should have almost his whole squad available, with the exception of Giorgio Scalvini and possibly Sead Kolasinac.
Misfiring strikers Gianluca Scamacca and Nikola Krstovic have been off the boil for some time, so Ademola Lookman may be asked to lead La Dea’s attack.
Marseille possible starting lineup:
Rulli; Murillo, Pavard, Aguerd, Garcia; Vermeeren, Hojbjerg; Greenwood, Gomes, Paixao; Aubameyang
Atalanta BC possible starting lineup:
Carnesecchi; Kossounou, Hien, Djimsiti; Bellanova, De Roon, Ederson, Zappacosta; De Ketelaere, Sulemana; Lookman
We say: Marseille 1-1 Atalanta BC
Italy’s draw specialists may leave Marseille with a point, as Atalanta are some way below their best but remain tough to beat.
The hosts have a formidable home record, yet they are always vulnerable to being countered.
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