Marseille vs Atalanta Prediction and Betting Tips: Three bets for UEL semi-final first leg
There are just four sides still standing in the Europa League and Bayer Leverkusen are warm favourites to place a European title alongside their newly-won Bundesliga title in the BayArena trophy cabinet.
Xabi Alonso's men must first overcome a rejuvenated Roma side to seal a place in the Dublin final later this month, while Marseille take on Liverpool's conquerors Atalanta in the other final-four tussle.
The first legs of both ties take place at 8pm BST this Thursday, with the return matches scheduled for seven days later.
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Marseille have a fantastic record on home soil this season, but Atalanta have also shone on the road and that could lead to something of an arm wrestle in the south of France on Thursday.
Only Paris St-Germain have got the better of Marseille in 23 fixtures at the Stade Velodrome this season and they are unlikely to buckle in the face of Atalanta's lively attack.
However, they may struggle to hold out for too long and there is a good chance that both sides can get on the scoresheet in this encounter.
Marseille vs Atalanta Tips
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has bagged goals in his last two outings for Marseille and he should be backed to continue his rich vein of form at the Stade Velodrome this week.
It's 26 goals and counting in all competitions for the Gabon striker this term and he has scored ten goals in 11 matches in this season's Europa League.
Aubameyang is the competition's all-time leading scorer with 34 goals and has bagged 18 for Marseille on home soil this campaign. He looks a lively contender to improve those enviable figures on Thursday night.
These two have never met in a European competition, but both have acquitted themselves well on the continental stage this season and an intriguing match is on the cards.
Marseille reached this stage by ousting Benfica in the quarter-finals and they have also seen off Shakhtar and Villarreal on their way to the final four.
Atalanta have also had a tricky course to plot, but they made light work of Liverpool in the first leg of their quarter-final tie at Anfield, while they have also beaten Sporting Lisbon this term.
Neither side is likely to be a pushover, and so backing a draw in which both teams score looks a shrewd option.
Atalanta have scored in six of their last seven on the road while five of OM's last six outings have featured goals at both ends, so the chances of an open affair on Thursday seem high.
Marseille are averaging 2.4 goals across their last five fixtures, while Atalanta are scoring at a rate of two goals per game across their last five, so a 2-2 scoreline looks a value correct-score wager in Thursday's first leg.
The Italians had no trouble putting three past Liverpool in the previous round while Marseille have scored at least twice in six of their last eight games on home soil.
The French hosts will want to take an advantage to Italy with them next week but their push to do so may leave them open to a clinical Atalanta attack.
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