Prediction: Villarreal vs Marseille

Verdict: Villareal over 1.75 goals

Best odds: 2.03

Bookmaker: ZetBet

Villareal have a mission impossible to complete at Estadio de la Ceramica in the 2nd leg of the Europa League tie against Marseille, following a meltdown suffered in France. The hosts are counting on 20,000 loyal fans to push their favourites towards a remontada after the 4-0 defeat at Stade Velodrome. 

Villarreal

Marcellino failed to take advantage of knowing OM and to explore the French side’s weaknesses. The Spanish manager knows his opponent inside out after a spell in Marseille that ended with the Spaniard resigning following tensions between fans and the club owners.

Although the Villareal boss was fully aware of the incredible volcanic atmosphere created at Stade Velodrome, he unsuccessfully set up a game plan for his players to follow, who collapsed catastrophically under huge pressure.

The Yellow Submarine committed a string of mistakes in the 1st half, conceding three goals in less than 20 minutes. Villareal’s defence surrendered completely in the 2nd part when the French side delivered the final blow at the hour mark.

On top of that, the former Liverpool left-back Alberto Moreno was sent off following two yellow cards received after 16 minutes of playtime, coming as a substitute in the 2nd half. With 10 men left on the pitch, Villareal’s hopes to score and keep the tie alive were inexistent.

A Sunday away win in La Liga against Betis gave Marcellino’s side hopes to pull off a comeback. Villareal was 2-1 down at halftime but recovered miraculously and won the game by scoring two goals in the 2nd half.

Team News

Villareal will struggle to line up the best team against Marseille. Yeremi Pino is out until the rest of the season, recovering from a cruciate ligament surgery. Attacking midfielder Denis Suarez suffered a tendon rupture at the beginning of February that will see him missing the rest of the campaign.

Juan Foyth, Ramon Terrats and Alfonso Pedraza also joined Villareal’s recovery room. Centre-back Raul Albiol and right-back Kiko Fermenia are at risk of suspension.

Marseille

Marseille is back on track since appointing Jean-Louis Gasset as head coach. The French manager replaced Gennaro Gattuso, impressing since taking over in the dugout. Under his command, OM won all five games. After knocking out Shakhtar Donetsk with a convincing home win (3-1), Marseille hammered all their Ligue 1 opponents.

Montpellier, Clermont and Nantes couldn’t keep up with Jean-Louis Gasset’s team’s high-intensity attacking football, scoring  11 goals in three games. These results culminated with a romp against Villareal that has OM with one foot in the quarter-finals of the Europa League.

On top of that, the latest Ligue 1 displays positioned Marseille just 3 points off the last Champions League spot. The Olympians look very strong, aiming to keep up the high tempo until the end of the season.

Besides, with Aubamenyang on fire under Gasset, the former French champions are expected to score and book their tickets for the next phase in the Europa League.

Team News

Olympique Marseille has been confronted with fresh injuries since the start of the year. Amir Murillo has been out since mid-January following an adductor injury. The young and talented centre midfielder Billal Nadir suffered a cruciate ligament tear and will be out for the rest of the season.

Experienced centre-back Samuel Gigot sustained a shoulder injury at the end of February. He is expected to return to training in April.    

Key factors to consider

• Villareal displayed recovery signs following the meltdown suffered at Stade Velodrome. Marcellino’s team won a difficult game away at Betis (2-3 final score)
• The Yellow Submarine are 8 points from the top 6 in La Liga, having minimalistic chances to play European football next term
• The hosts won the last match played at Estadio de la Ceramica (5-1 against Granada)
• Olympique Marseille are with one foot in the quarter-finals of the Europa League following the 4-0 win at Velodrome
• The visitors scored 18 goals in their last five games played across all competitions
• Aubameyang is on fire scoring eight goals in the last five matches

Conclusion

Villareal is hoping to score early and take a significant lead at halftime. The Yellow Submarine is on fire scoring 11 goals in the last three La Liga fixtures. Coming from an excellent away win at Betis, Marcellino’s side will have the belief they can pull a miracle.

Considering Villareal scored five goals against Granada in the latest Estadio Ceramica display, we expect the hosts to find the back of the net at least twice against Marseille.

Verdict: Villareal over 1.75 goals

Best odds: 2.03

Bookmaker: ZetBet