Diego Simeone had a roller-coaster campaign with his Atletico Madrid so far in the season. The team seemed to have lost the fighting spirit and the momentum which made them one of the toughest rivals for any side of the continent when the Mattressers experienced a shocking exit in the Champions League group phase, finishing behind Roma and Chelsea in their respective group.
Nonetheless, Cholo Simeone and his men managed to find the much-needed spirit to rise after the mentioned failure and they can actually make it a remarkable season with successes in the following two games. The first one will be much more important, providing a chance for Madrid side to lift the European silverware for the first time since 2012 when they won Europa League. Apart from this, Atleti can finish the La LIga campaign runners-up with a point at home against Eibar on the final day next weekend.
Marseille, on the other side, can also finish their domestic campaign in second given Monaco are just three points away ahead of the last round’s fixtures. However, there’s still a huge chance for the Phocians not to secure the Champions League football next year even though they’ll have two opportunities for such an accomplishment. The Europa League final represents one in which they are dependent exclusively on their performance as they need a slip-up from either Monaco or Lyon on the final day of Ligue 1 to clinch one of the top three spots at the end of the campaign.
Marseille vs Atletico Madrid: Head-to-head
-
The two sides locked horns in the group stage of the Champions League exactly a decade ago.
-
Atletico Madrid were much more successful back then clinching four points in two fixtures with the French outfit.
-
Atleti ended the respective group runners-up back then while Marseille finished third with a huge eight-point deficit.
-
The first game at Vicente Calderon saw Atletico’s 2-1 win, while the rematch at Velodrome produced no goals back then.
-
This will only be the third ever head to head encounter between Marseille and Atletico Madrid over the history.
Marseille vs Atletico Madrid: Prediction
None of two managers can actually be thrilled with their teams’ most recent spell of form. However, Atletico’s slip-ups can be justified with the fact the team did not have an imperative whatsoever in the last couple of weeks in Primera Division, while Marseille have been in constant pursuit for one of top three spots in France.
Rudi Garcia’s defensive line showed plenty of vulnerabilities of late, particularly in Friday’s 3-3 draw away at Guingamp. This will be the music to the ears of the likes of Antoine Griezmann and Diego Costa who are expected to lead Simeone’s attacking troops here. Atleti only conceded three goals in eight Europa League matches this season and they had no troubles whatsoever against any of four rivals in the knockout stages. They have a much greater experience of playing at the highest level after reaching the Champions League final on two occasions in last five years.
To sum it all up, every single parameter goes in Atletico Madrid’s favour meaning we just have to take the 1.61 odds offered for the Spanish side to win the match in 90 minutes here. The value is higher in the 1.90 odds offered for Atletico Madrid to net two or more goals in the match following Marseille’s obvious defensive woes.
Marseille vs Atletico Madrid: Bet Tips
-
Atletico Madrid to win @ 1.61
-
Atletico Madrid Over 1.5 Team Goals @ 1.90.
Coming up – Team News and Predicted Line-ups.
