It didn’t do him any favors Panathinaikos the draw, since, if it eliminates Dnipro in the second qualifying round, it will be called upon to overcome the obstacle of Marseille in the next phase.
The first match will be held on August 8 or 9 with the home team Panathinaikoswhile the rematch will be held on August 15 at France.
sport-fm.gr presents you the profile of the “reborn” Marseille, which with a new man on the bench and many transfers aims to return to the highest level.
What did he do last season?
A season with many ups and downs was for her Marseille in 2022-23. The French team started very strongly in the league and until January were in contention for the title, however they had a bad second half of the year and ended up finishing third in Ligue 1, behind Paris and Lance, with a double-digit point difference from both.
The… instability of his team Igor Tudor, was even more evident in the Cup. There, the Marseilles reached the “8” having flown out of the Paris Saint Germain (!), however they experienced a shocking exclusion from the Comforta team that competes in Ligue 2!
The year was also unsuccessful on the European front. Marseille was in his groups Champions Leaguehaving a relatively passable draw with Tottenham, Sporting Lisbon and Eintracht Frankfurt. Despite this, they finished in last place in the group, counting 4 defeats in 6 games and staying out of Europe very quickly.
The coach
Marseille is in a competitive “reconstruction” phase, after last year’s failed season. With reports of a Saudi takeover of the team mounting, Igor Tudor left and was replaced by Marthelinoa 57-year-old coach who will take on his first job outside Spain.
The former footballer has plenty of experience on the bench in La Liga, making an impressive transition from the bench Athletic Bilbao. With the Basques, he won in 2021 Supercopa, after a great 3-2 win over Barcelona in the final. In the same season, he also led Bilbao to the Cup final, but there the “blaugrana” took their revenge 4-0.
Previously, Marthelino had stints at Valencia, Villarreal, Sevilla, Zaragoza and Santander, among others. With the “bats”, in fact, he won the Copa Del Rey in 2019.
The Spanish technician is well known for 4-4-2 which is very strictly applied by his teams, who are distinguished by the very high pressure they impose and their ability to counter-attack. He likes to play initiative, but the main characteristic of his teams is their aggressiveness. This is a man on whom a lot of people rely Marseilleswho are aiming to get back to the top by making some big signings as well.
The roster and the stars
The renewal phase in which the Marseille it can also be seen from the very high-level moves that have been made so far. The French club, valued at 270 million euros on the transfermarkt, have brought back to France the Joffrey Kodogbiasecured his purchase Ruslan Malinovskyand acquired Renan Lodi from Atletico Madrid.
The biggest transfer of “Bam” this summer is none other than his acquisition Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who returns to France to become Marseille’s undisputed star. However, the French team is not stopping there, having already signed the super-talented winger Ismaila Sarr from Watford.
These are only from the transfers, since the roster that Marthelino has to manage includes other players of the highest level, such as Valentin Ronzier, Cengiz Uder, Jordan Veretou and Matteo Guduzzi. However, Marseille have also suffered a very big loss, after the departure of their long-time captain and top player, Dmitri Pagetwhich counted 8 years in two terms at the club.
The past with Greek teams:
Marseille have a rich and favorable history for them in European competitions against Greek teams, although they have never faced the Panathinaikos. The beginning took place in the 1989-90 season, when the AEK he was called upon to face his mighty Marshalls Bernard Tapi in the “16” of the Champions Cup. The Union lost 2-0 in France and drew 1-1 at “hot” New Philadelphia, knowing elimination.
In 1994-95, the Marseille faced Olympiakos in the first round of the UEFA Cup. The “red and white” succumbed to the superiority of the French team, which won with a score of 1-2 in Piraeus and repeated its feat with a score of 3-0 in “Velodrome”.
Many years had to pass until Marseille to meet again with the “red and whites”, in his groups Champions League in 2011-12. In a shocking group where everything was decided in the final matchday, Didier Deshabi’s Marseilles hurt Ernesto Valverde’s Piraeus. THE Olympic got a “double” in France (0-1) and lost in “Karaiskakis” (0-1), but the qualification was not decided in the game between them.
On the contrary, in the last round, the “red and white” did their duty and defeated her Arsenal 3-1, but a goal by him Valbuena in 87′ he gifted to Marseille victory in the Dortmund and sent it to the “16” of the Champions League, with Olympiakos going to Europa.
Piraeus took informal “revenge” in the groups of the same competition in 2020-21. Then, they defeated her Marseille 1-0 in “Karaiskakis” thanks to his goal Hasan in stoppage time, drawing 0-0 at “Velodrome”. In this way, when in the last matchday the two of them finished tied, the “red and white” were the ones who went to Europa, leaving the Marseilles in the last place of the group.
Her last and most recent meeting Marseille with a Greek team he came in the 2021-22 season. Loucescu’s PAOK faced the French club in the “8” of the newly established Conference League. The Thessalonikians left with a tolerable defeat against “Velotron” (2-1), however the French prevailed in “Toumba” as well, getting the qualification.
Source: Sport Fm
I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.
