Atalanta vs Marseille Prediction and Betting Tips: La Dea out to make history

The Europa League semi-final between Atalanta and Marseille comes to a conclusion on Thursday night, as the two face off in the second leg at the Gewiss Stadium.

The pair played out a 1-1 draw at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille in the first leg, with Gianluca Scamacca opening the scoring for Atalanta in the 11th minute before Chancel Mbemba equalised for Marseille.

Thursday’s second leg will kick off at 8pm, alongside the second semi-final between unbeaten Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen and Roma, beaten finalists in this competition last season.

Atalanta have never made it to a European final, with their run to the semi-finals of this competition matching their last four-run appearance in the 1987/88 European Cup Winners’ Cup.

However, after losing just one game in this season’s Europa League - a 1-0 defeat at home to Liverpool in the quarter-finals after winning the first leg 3-0 - La Dea will be confident that they can make home advantage count.

Atalanta have lost just two of their last 15 games at home in all competitions and have won 11 of their last 14 assignments at the Gewiss Stadium.

Marseille, meanwhile, have been far from impressive on the road in Europe this season, winning one of their six games and losing two of their three knockout away matches - against Benfica (2-1) and Villarreal (3-1).

However, they do possess the all-time top goalscorer in this competition in their ranks in the shape of 34-year-old striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who leads the scoring charts for this season’s competition with 10.

La Dea may have lost their last home Europa League fixture but they should be more than confident in claiming victory this time around against a Marseille side that have faced real difficulties on their travels in recent weeks.

Atalanta have won three of their five fixtures at the Gewiss Stadium in the Europa League this season, beating Rakow Czestochowa, Sturm Graz and Sporting Lisbon.

Les Phoceens have won just one of their last 10 on the road in all competitions and have lost four of their last five, although they have found the back of the net in three of these defeats.

Their ability to score in defeat should see the visitors grab at least a consolation goal. However their winless run is unlikely to end on Thursday night, which will see Atalanta seal their place in the final in Dublin.

Striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has scored in each round so far and, after failing to net in the first leg, will be expected to get on the scoresheet in Bergamo.

The veteran has netted two goals across his last three appearances and has 27 goals in all competitions this season - his best return for three years - and this fantastic form should see him grab a consolation goal in defeat.