Shakhtar Donetsk vs Marseille Prediction 15.02.2024

• Competition: UEFA Europa League &— intermediate stage 1st leg
• Date: Thursday, 15th, February 2024
• Kickoff: 17:45 UTC / 18.45 CET
• Venue: Volksparkstadion (Hamburg)

The Europa League resumes on Thursday after a two-month hiatus, featuring a playoff round tie between Ukrainian powerhouse Shakhtar and Olympique Marseille. The first leg of the match will take place at the Volksparkstadion.

For the sixth consecutive year, Shakhtar could not progress beyond the “group stage” in the continent’s premier club competition. However, they managed to secure a place in the knockout playoffs of UEFA’s second-tier tournament for the second successive season. Despite being on the brink of progressing to the Champions League knockout stage, and tied with the Portuguese giants on the leaderboard ahead of the final pool phase game, Shakhtar fell short of their long-cherished goal. They were defeated 3-5 by Porto in the crucial Group H match, marking an intense showdown.

The halcyon days of the early ’90s when Marseille hoisted the “Big Ears” trophy during the 1992-93 season now feel like a fading memory. However, a spark of optimism has recently been ignited on the continental stage as they secured their place in the knockout phase of a European competition for the first time since their defeat to Atletico Madrid in the 2017-18 Europa League final. It’s worth mentioning that Gennaro Gattuso’s team had the opportunity to skip the intermediary phase and progress directly to the Europa League’s last-16, but Les Olympiens were unable to defend their position at the top of Group B. They suffered a heartbreaking 0-1 defeat to Brighton in the final match of the pool stage, which left them in second place.

Shakhtar vs Marseille Betting Tips: 1X (Double chance)

Despite lacking the full backing of their devoted fans and being compelled to play their “home” European games at the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg due to their country’s current situation, the Ukrainian powerhouse can still pose a significant challenge to Les Olympiens and secure a positive first leg result. This is because Marseille is coming to Germany without any confidence, having not tasted victory in over a month (D3, L2). Additionally, their slim 1-0 cup victory against the fifth-tier team Thionville is their only win since the start of the year.

It’s important to note that Shakhtar has generally performed well against French clubs, except when playing against PSG. They have been particularly strong in home games, recording four wins and four draws from eight matches. Notably, one of these victories was against Marseille, who they eliminated from the Europa League quarter-finals in the 2008-09 season with a 4-1 aggregate score. Given these facts and Marseille’s current poor form, it seems reasonable to suggest that Shakhtar, despite a two-month hiatus from competitive play (though they have taken part in several friendly matches), has the ability to challenge their struggling opponents and secure a favorable outcome before the second leg in France.