Marseille v Salzburg
Europa League semi final first leg
With the world’s media likely to be focused intently on the Emirates Stadium on Thursday night, there is a real chance for one of two sides to take a giant leap towards Europa League glory. Arsenal, still adjusting to the news that Arsene Wenger will be stepping down from his role as manager after almost 22 years, will face tournament favourites Atletico Madrid but, under the radar and away from the spotlight, Red Bull Salzburg will meet Marseille in the ‘unfashionable’ semi-final; the first leg will take place in the South of France this week.
For many different reasons, these four teams were not expected to reach this stage of the competition; it was assumed Atleti would go far in the Champions League, but they were knocked out at the group stages, while the Gunners were expected to limp through and be dispatched at an earlier stage. Neither Marseille nor Salzburg were given much hope of going all the way at all, but if this European campaign has proven anything, it is that nothing is ever out of the question. There is no pressure on either of the sides meeting at the Stade Velodrome, because whoever makes it to the final in Lyon next month will be immediately written off whether they face the giants from the Premier League or LaLiga.
This is new territory for Salzburg particularly; their manager, Marco Rose, who was only promoted from the youth team in 2017, has helped them continue their domestic dominance, all but guiding them to a fifth straight Austrian Bundesliga title this season. Die Roten Bullen hold an 11-point lead over SK Sturn Graz, allowing them to focus all their energy on sealing an unlikely European triumph. Rose has gone above and beyond in his first year in charge, taking his side further in Europe than they have been since 1994, when they reached the final of the old UEFA Cup, which changed format in 2009.
If they weren’t getting noticed beforehand, a comprehensive victory over one of the teams behind Serie A’s recent resurgence, Lazio, certainly caught some attention. Simone Inzaghi’s Champions League chasers, who had quality players like Ciro Immobile and the diminutive midfield all rounder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic at their disposal, were beaten 4-1 in Austria in the second leg after they won 4-2 in Rome. As their city rivals Roma completed a stunning comeback against Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-finals, Inzaghi’s men were left with their tails between their legs.
Munas Dabbur, the striker who has stepped into Jonathan Soriano’s boots after the Spaniard, who had scored over 120 goals in five years for Salzburg, joined Beijing Guoan in China, helped them on their way with one of his five goals in this year’s competition. Valon Berisha, a reported target for a number of English clubs, has the same number to his name and he could play a big role too in this tie.
Marseille are perhaps a little more familiar to a wider audience, with a number of former Premier League players in their side. Dimitri Payet, who lit up West Ham for a year before leaving to return to his former club in acrimonious circumstances, will hope to play a big part in this tie, while Florian Thauvin, who Newcastle fans will remember with a grimace, could be the man to unlock the door in the tie; former Swansea striker Bafetimbi Gomis could lead the line in attack. Since Thauvin rejoined Marseille, he has gone from inconsistent show pony to a regular in the discussion for a World Cup place with France this summer, racking up 19 goals and ten assists in Ligue 1. Lucas Ocampos has been their main threat in Europe, though, with four goals. Beating Athletic Bilbao over two legs was impressive work by Rudi Garcia’s men, but like Salzburg, they came to life in the last round, with a stunning 5-2 victory over RB Leipzig.
Team News
Red Bull Salzburg have no fresh injury concerns ahead of this game, giving Marco Rose a full squad to choose from for the first leg in Marseille.
As for Rudi Garcia, he will be without Steve Mandanda, Hiroki Sakai and Boubacar Kamara, who have all picked up injuries. Thauvin, Payet and former Bayern Munich midfielder Luiz Gustavo are all likely to start.
Probable line ups
Marseille: Pele, Bedimo, Rolando, Rami, Sertic, Lopez, Luiz Gustavo, Vainquer, Thauvin, Payet, Gomis
Red Bull Salzburg: Walke, Ulmer, Caleta-Car, Ramalho, Lainer, Berisha, Schlager, Samassekou, Haidara, Gulbrandsen, Dabour
Did you know?
When Red Bull Leipzig came into the Europa League from the Champions League group stages, Salzburg had to be known as FC Salzburg in case the two sides met. The same company owns both and, had they clashed, it would have been a conflict of interests, only for Marseille to beat Leipzig at the quarter-final stage.
Prediction: Marseille are going strong and scoring plenty of goals; in their last three, they have netted 13 and are unbeaten in all competitions since March 18th. With Thauvin and Payet proving many English fans wrong now they are back together, Garcia’s men will be confident of victory. Salzburg have a case for being the best club side to come from Austria in many a year, a claim that would be cemented if they could reach another European final or even win it, but Marseille should prove too strong in the home leg.
Score Prediction: Marseille 2-0 Red Bull Salzburg
