Marseille will need to overturn a goal deficit when they face Panathinaikos in the second leg of their third-round qualifying in the UEFA Champions League. Panathinaikos will enter the second leg of the match with an edge after claiming a 1-0 victory in Greece last week. Ivan Jovanovic’s team’s Bernard came off the bench to win it late.
Preview (Marseille vs Panathinaikos)
Marseille played in Group D with Tottenham Hotspur, Eintracht Frankfurt, and Sporting Lisbon. They finished third in Ligue 1 to earn a spot in the Champions League’s third qualifying round. This season, they hope to advance to the group stage of the competition for the second consecutive year. Due to Geoffrey Kondogbia’s red card in the 65th minute, Les Olympiens were unable to secure what would have been a favorable draw in the first leg. As a result, Panathinaikos was able to score late in the game. Azzedine Ounahi and Vitinha scored in Marseille’s 2-1 victory over Reims in the Ligue 1.
During the summer transfer window, Marcelino’s team was extremely active, bringing in players like Iliman Ndiaye, Ismaila Sarr, Renan Lodi, Kondogbia, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Although Panathinaikos will undoubtedly be the more rested of the two clubs going into the second leg. Marseille could benefit from having played on Saturday. The fact that the Greek team’s domestic campaign won’t start until the weekend after next. Atromitos has allowed them to concentrate entirely on the Champions League this year. Panathinaikos had to win one match to progress to this stage of the competition.
In their matchup during the second qualifying round, Jovanovic’s team defeated Dnipro-1 3-1 in the first leg before drawing 2-2 in the return leg last week to win the match 5-3 on aggregate. Since the Greens haven’t participated in the Champions League group stage since the 2010–11 season, getting into the main event would be a significant accomplishment. This summer, Panathinaikos was able to bring in six new players: Tonny Vilhena, Erik Palmer-Brown, Filip Djuricic, Filip Mladenovic, Zeca, and Tin Jedvaj.
Team News
Due to Kondogbia’s absence from Marseille due to his dismissal in the second half of the first leg, Matteo Guendouzi is most likely to fill Kondogbia’s position in midfield. Although head coach Marcelino made adjustments for the encounter against Reims on Saturday, players like Sarr, Aubameyang, and Jordan Veretout will be back in the lineup for this game. Vitinha’s goal in Ligue 1 the last time out will have put him in his manager’s consideration. Although Aubameyang and Ndiaye are anticipated to join him in the final third of the pitch. In the meantime, Panathinaikos has not mentioned any injury worries from the first leg last week.
Head coach Jovanovic is unlikely to make any unexpected team selections given the style of the performance. Andraz Sporar is once again expected to play through the middle. Laszlo Kleinheisler is vying to enter the starting lineup, and Bernard, who scored off the bench in the first leg. He is an option as well, but both players could find themselves on the bench once more. The match on Tuesday night promises to be exciting as Marseille will be confident that they can win. Although the French team has quality enough to overcome the one-goal deficit. Panathinaikos deserve a lot of respect.
Marseille 2 – 0 Panathinaikos
For more football previews, click here
