Shakhtar Donetsk will host Marseille at the Volksparkstadion for the first leg of this Europa League knockout stage clash on Thursday, with kickoff slated for 17:45 GMT.
Key Highlights
Shakhtar Donetsk’s Lack of Competitive Football is Potentially a Plus and a Minus
Shakhtar Donetsk have not been in competitive action in the lead-up to this knockout clash with Marseille.
They played friendly matches to build their match fitness and sharpness before hosting Marseille on Thursday. They have won twice, lost twice, and drawn once in their last five friendly match encounters.
The wins came in clashes against Lech Poznan (1-3) and Arkadag (4-1). The losses were in matches against Hradec Kralove (0-2) and Velez (2-3), with the draw coming in their latest match against Lechia Gdansk, which ended in a 1-1 stalemate.
The lack of competitive action might adversely impact the sharpness and physical readiness for Shakhtar Donetsk in their clash against Marseille, who are in the middle of a Ligue 1 campaign.
However, it also means that the players are not as jaded and might go the distance in this clash, ahead of the second leg in France.
Olympique de Marseille’s Winless Run in Ligue 1
Marseille are winless in their last five outings in Ligue 1. Marseille has drawn four times in their last five outings and lost once.
The number of draws in their last five matches (four) and throughout the season (nine) shows that Marseille lack the cutting edge in the final third, which is manifested in their inability to turn their draws into wins.
Bet hereHowever, the draws also show Marseille’s battling qualities, which will be essential in their two-legged knockout stage clash against Shakhtar Donetsk, starting with Thursday’s clash away from home.
Injury Report
Shakhtar Donetsk will be without the injured Ivan Petryak, Lassina Traore, Marlon Gomes, and Tymur Puzankov.
Marseille will miss the services of the injured Valentin Rongier (broken kneecap) and central midfielder Bilal Nadir (cruciate ligament tear).
Prediction
Shakhtar Donetsk and Marseille are closely matched, and football predictions show that the clash will be closely contested on Thursday.
Shakhtar Donetsk and Marseille will fight to a stalemate on Thursday, with the match nicely poised for the second leg next week.
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