UEFA Europa League - Marseille VS FC Shakhtar Donetsk Prediction

UEFA Europa League - Marseille VS FC Shakhtar Donetsk
Match Time: 23-02-2024 04:00 Friday (GMT+8)
Football Livescore | Match Prediction & Tips
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Team Analysis
Marseille currently has zero wins in their last seven matches across all tournaments. Interestingly, in all of their Group B home matches, we've seen four or more goals. On the contrary, each of Shakhtar Donetsk's away games in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League saw Over 2.5 goals FT & BTTS pick coming in.

On Thursday, Marseille will aim to move past recent domestic disappointments when hosting Shakhtar Donetsk in the second leg of the UEFA Europa League knockout stage playoffs. Shakhtar Donetsk evened the score twice to secure a 2-2 draw in the first match which took place on German soil last week.

Marseille's domestic ambitions took a significant hit due to their 0-1 loss at Brest on Sunday. They had an additional player in the last 30 minutes, but it didn't benefit them much. The indication that Gennaro Gatusso's squad recorded only two shots on target in the 90 minutes of the game is very telling. This led to the Italian manager being dismissed on Monday.

On the other hand, Shakhtar Donetsk had the weekend off. The season in the Ukrainian top flight is set to resume only the following weekend. The team, led by Croatian manager Marino Pusic, is currently fourth in the Premier League table. They are trailing leaders Kryvbas KR by three points, with two games to spare.

Head-to-Head
In their 2009 Europa League quarterfinal, Marseille and Shakhtar crossed paths. Shakhtar Donetsk proceeded with two victories on this occasion. Therefore, Les Phocians are on the hunt for their initial victory over Shakhtar in their fourth head-to-head encounter with the Ukrainian titans.

The Over 2.5 goals FT & Both Teams To Score selection has been successful in the previous two head-to-head matches involving these competitors.

Odds Analysis
Following the defeat at Brest, Marseille fell to ninth place in the Ligue 1 standings. They have been winless in seven consecutive tournaments in all competitions. The outlook for the French team does not look good ahead of the visit from Shakhtar.

Backing the home win selection at the 1.72 odds provided here doesn't hold much value, especially knowing that the Ukrainians have achieved two victories and a draw in their last three head-to-head contests. Moreover, things are far from stable in Marseille's locker room. The abrupt managerial transition will barely mend things in such a short time. We'll take the 2.05 odds offered for Shakhtar to evade defeat in France.

Alternatively, the Both Teams To Score wager at the 1.70 odds could be appealing. It's worth noting that all three of Marseille's Europa League Group B home matches this term have seen at least four goals. The Over 2.5 goals FT & Both Teams To Score wager also proved successful in all of Shakhtar's three Champions League group stage away matches. The streak includes a 3-5 loss at Porto on the closing day. The head-to-head battle between these rivals presented a four-goal thriller only seven days ago at Volksparkstadion.

Pick: Both Teams Score