OM travel to Hamburg on Thursday to face Shakhtar Donetsk (6:45 p.m., Europa League round of 16). A high-risk double opposition for the Phocaeans.
Its Champions League dreams vanished last August, from the third preliminary round of qualifying for the competition, Olympique de Marseille has since consoled itself with participation in the Europa League. Gennaro Gattuso’s men have thus validated their ticket for the round of 16 of the competition, with a first leg to be played on Thursday against Shakhtar Donetsk (6:45 p.m.). An opposition that some call for should not be neglected.
Former OM, Eric Di Meco warned Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and his team: elimination against the Ukrainians would be purely and simply a catastrophe. “ The Europa League can allow this team to find its style or at least to find itself, if indeed it has found itself since the start of the season. Before the break, there was a somewhat pleasant month where we said to ourselves ‘they found each other’. We must use this Europa League. Not to pass against Donetsk would be experienced as a disaster. »
Victory or feat
The consultant of RMC estimated that Marseille were therefore largely favorites against a club which, for its part, participated in the group stage of the Champions League before being transferred to the lower level. An elimination from Marseille would be equivalent to the end of the season. “ Your season is dead. In addition to no longer participating in a European Cup, you tell yourself that we could sink into crisis. »
There would then only be the championship left to allow OM to save the furniture. “ Getting third place would be an achievement for me. Considering how you are today and what you are offering on the ground, the surge will be an achievement. (…) When you are average since the start of the season, when you are placed as OM are placed, if you go for third place, it is because you will have had a cannonball end to the season and that you will have accomplished a feat. » While waiting to witness, why not, such a final performance from Marseillais, they would therefore be well inspired to win against Shakhtar.
