Marseille vs Villarreal prediction: EUROPE: Europa League – Play Offs betting tips on match 2024-03-06 20:00.
A five-star performance saw Marseille run out 5-1 victors against Clermont on Saturday, serving as the perfect warm-up for this UEFA Europa League last 16 tie against Villarreal. In fact, as far as preparation goes, Marseille’s couldn’t have been much better, with that their third successive win in all competitions, and with all three coming by at least a two-goal margin, the French side have some serious firepower in the ranks.
You’d be brave to bet against them extending that run here, especially as they’re unbeaten in their last nine home games in UEFA knockout stage ties (W8, D1). Combine that remarkable record with ten wins from their last 16 European home matches (D4, L2), and there’s a strong case for Marseille not only claiming a first-leg advantage, but also tipping their home record against Spanish clubs (W3, D1, L3) in their favour.
As fate would have it, Villarreal also come into this clash on the back of a 5-1 win over the weekend, with their triumph over struggling Granada moving them further into the safety of mid-table in La Liga. With no real fears of relegation, and a sizeable gap to bridge to La Liga’s top six, the winners of Group F can focus most of their efforts into taking the next step on the road to replicating their 2021 success in this competition.
Winning the first leg in six of their last seven two-legged Europa League knockout stage ties (L1) would suggest they’re good value to make a positive start here. The Yellow Submarine also have a strong affiliation with travelling in this competition, winning seven of their last ten Europa League away matches (D2, L1), although only in two of those games did they score more than twice.
Players to watch: IsmaĂŻla Sarr scored what was ultimately the goal to secure Marseille’s progression to this stage in the last round – his third successive goal to arrive after the 70th minute. Hoping to have a similar influential impact, Alexander Sørloth’s two Europa League goals this term were both decisive in victory and he scored a hat-trick at the weekend.
Hot stat: Marseille have scored at least twice in five of their last six Europa League home games.