Brighton & Hove Albion will host Marseille with both teams competing for the top spot in the Europa League. Both clubs have already earned a spot in the knockout stages. A win by one would ensure that they advance to the round of sixteen. The other team to the playoffs.
Preview (Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Marseille)
Brighton knew they would have tough opponents in their first-ever European group-stage campaign. It includes Greek champions AEK Athens, French powerhouse Marseille, and Dutch powerhouse Ajax. They punched their ticket to the knockout stages with one game remaining. Following two defeats in their opening Group B games, the Seagulls have won three straight without giving up a goal. It includes back-to-back 2-0 wins over Ajax and a narrow away victory over AEK Athens.
Roberto De Zerbi’s team will undoubtedly place in the top two in Group B. The Seagulls need to defeat Marseille, who are already leading the standings by one point. Brighton’s domestic record has been inconsistent since defeating AEK Athens. In their last three Premier League games, they have won one, lost once, and drawn once. Last weekend, they played to a lackluster 1-1 draw at home against Burnley.
The Seagulls, who have won their past seven games at home, will be driven to win this time around. Brighton fought back against Marseille in the rematch three months ago. They came back from two goals down to tie 2-2 in France on matchday one. Marseille had failed to go past the group stage in their previous three European campaigns. They have qualified for this year’s Europa League knockout round after earning 11 points from five games. In an exciting match on home soil on matchday five, Les Gones defeated Ajax 4-3. It maintained its unbeaten streak in the group stage and earned its third straight victory. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang sealed the win in the 93rd minute with a penalty kick to complete his hat-trick.
Team News
Brighton has a long list of injuries, which includes Adam Webster (knock), Pervis Estupinan, Danny Welbeck (both muscle), Ansu Fati, Tariq Lamptey (both hamstring), and Solly March (both knee). Joel Veltman was absent from the Burnley tie last weekend due to personal matters, but the Dutchman is anticipated to be called up as a right-back. Jan Paul van Hecke or Igor Julio is expected to start at center defense with Lewis Dunk, while James Milner or Jack Hinshelwood plays left back.
After starting as substitutes against Burnley, Billy Gilmour, and Kaoru Mitoma will be looking to go back into the starting lineup, and Joao Pedro, who has five goals in as many Europa League games this season, may start in front of or next to Evan Ferguson in the attacking role. Joaquin Correa and Valentin Rongier of Marseille are out due to injuries to their ankles and knees, respectively, and Geoffrey Kondogbia is questionable due to an undisclosed problem.
After being sent off in the Ligue 1 victory over Lorient the previous weekend, Jonathan Clauss is eligible to play in the Europa League and is expected to start at right-back as Gattuso switches back to a four-man defense with Chancel Mbemba, Samuel Gigot, and Renan Lodi, the latter of whom has scored in three of his last six games. The line will likely be led by the in-form striker Aubameyang, who has scored seven goals and provided three assists in his last four games across all competitions. He needs to score at least once on Thursday to tie Radamel Falcao as the only other player in Europa League history to reach the 30-goal milestone in the competition.
Brighton & Hove Albion 2-3 Marseille
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