Europa League: Well-Rested Marseille Jolt in Preparation for Benfica

Olympique Marseille vs Benfica

Last week wasn’t particularly the best week for French football in the Champions League and the Europa League, as all of their representatives failed to get ahead in aggregate against their European rivals.

PSG, Lille, and Marseille are trailing on aggregate coming into their respective second-leg clashes, which is why the LFP, Ligue 1’s governing body, granted these contestants some time off from the top flight in order to bolster their chances in Europe moving forward.

Meanwhile, Benfica have been busy on their own slate, but they’ve taken it on the chin and have succeeded for the most part. They march to Lisbon with a goal advantage on aggregate thanks to the efforts of their vets, but they can’t rest on their laurels just yet.

Talking Points

Marseille benefit from a weekend off

While some of the SBOTOP football fans around the globe still have their jaws on the floor after witnessing Bayer Leverkusen win the Bundesliga, others have their attention on the Premier League, where Liverpool, Manchester City, and Arsenal are having one of the best title races in the English top flight.

Meanwhile, over in France, the LFP, Ligue 1’s governing body, opted to postpone three of the French league’s weekend fixtures in attempts to bolster the French sides’ chances of progressing in Europe.

Namely, PSG, Marseille, and Lille benefited from this ruling, and that generous break could definitely go a long way, especially since other outfits from other leagues have crammed schedules, juggling domestic leagues and European competitions.

PSG are on their way to Catalonia to brave a hostile Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium for the second leg of their Champions League quarterfinal clash against Barcelona, while Lille and Marseille trail Aston Villa and Benfica, respectively, in the Europa League quarterfinal.

Maybe LFP’s surprise decision was caused by pedestrian performances from all French outfits in the European scene. Giving them extra time to rest doesn’t guarantee that they’ll progress, especially while trailing on aggregate, but the LFP has done great by providing an optimal condition for success for their French representatives.

Now, French fans can only wait and see if this lavish gesture by the LFP will be enough for PSG, Marseille, and Lille to get over the hump.

Benfica veterans get it done

Benfica definitely piled on more misery on Marseille, and they’re surely feeling confident in their chances to progress to the Europa League semifinals after the amazing display from their veterans at Estádio da Luz last week, one of the most competitive Europa League 2024 results in the campaign thus far.

30-year-old Rafa Silva and 36-year-old Angel Di Maria did the heavy lifting for the Portuguese side when they played host to Ligue 1’s Marseille.

Rafa Silva scored the opener, which gave Benfica a one-goal lead until halftime. Then, to the delight of Alfacinhan fans in attendance, World Cup winner Angel Di Maria doubled their lead in minute 52.

Marseille’s main man, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyaang, scored a goal of his own 15 minutes later to keep his outfit in the hunt.

However, Benfica shouldn’t count their eggs before they hatch, as they’ll be facing a well-rested French outfit in front of a passionate French crowd in a historic French stadium. Yes, they lead by one goal on aggregate, but we’ve seen crazier things happen.

History

These historic clubs have had just six head-to-heads since 2010, only meeting each other in the Europa League or for friendlies.

Benfica have won half of said matches, while Marseille only won once and tallied draws twice. It’s not much of a sample size, but the fact that neither team dominates their head-to-heads just means that these outfits are well-matched.

In their most recent encounter, Benfica triumphed thanks to their vets showing up when it counts, but Marseille are still breathing down their necks coming into the second leg of their quarterfinal tie thanks to a spirited goal from Aubameyaang to keep Marseille within striking distance.

In their recent forms, Marseille have been in a not-so-mini slump, losing five in a row across all competitions, but they’ve been unbeaten in their last eight Europa League matches, so it would be interesting to see if they can end their five-game skid against the visiting Benfica.

The Eagles, on the other hand, have won three of their five, winning back-to-back in their most recent bouts to boot. The momentum is definitely on their side, but will that be enough to progress to the semifinals?

Betting Tip

The Europa League 2024 betting odds have this match closely priced, with Benfica getting the slight nudge because of home advantage. Marseille are the slight favourites at 2.38, while Benfica are right there at 2.59 with a draw price of 3.16.

Based on their first leg, these outfits are very well-matched, and home advantage could really be the X factor to secure the win, but my betting tip is for the away side. Marseille’s current form has been tepid at best, failing to garner a single point in their past five fixtures, while Benfica remain solid across all competitions, which is enough for me to put them ahead.

 

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