The fifth day of the Champions League offers a meeting as exciting as it is perilous for Olympique de Marseille. The Phocaeans welcome Newcastle on Tuesday at a Vélodrome which promises to be hot. But the poster falls at the precise moment when the Magpies are showing their best face of the season, coming off a masterful victory against Manchester City. OM, still fighting to secure the top 24, could hardly dream of a tougher opponent at this stage of the competition.
A Newcastle launched at full speed
The 2-1 victory against Manchester City left its mark on the Premier League: crazy intensity, sharp transitions and an incandescent Harvey Barnes, author of a double and a benchmark match. Eddie Howe’s men asphyxiated the English champion, multiplied the chances and even made Donnarumma doubt, despite being impeccable in the first half. It is this Newcastle, energetic, aggressive and sure of its strength, which is now presenting itself at the Vélodrome. In other words, an opponent far from the one beaten by OM in 2004 in the UEFA Cup.
For Marseille, the danger is obvious: the physical power of the English, their high pressing and their ability to project themselves with a few touches are a reminder of the extent to which the opposition will be at a higher level than what OM faces in Ligue 1. The recent performances of British teams in Europe, notably Scotland and Ireland during World Cup qualifying, also suggest a confrontation without concessions.
But OM does not arrive without arguments
However, the Marseillais are approaching this shock with a positive dynamic. Four consecutive victories, a big 5-1 success in Nice on Friday and a Mason Greenwood in great shape allow us to maintain the idea of an exploit. The team has regained rhythm, confidence and a certain offensive efficiency, essential to compete with an English defense which is gaining strength.
The calculation is simple: any result other than a victory would almost definitively condemn OM in the race for the top 24 in the Champions League. The margin for error is non-existent, the pressure immense. Marseille knows that a success on Tuesday would be a major turning point in their season; but the Newcastle walk never seemed so high.
