Marseille vs Villarreal UEL Odds, Round of 16 Preview
Marcelino Returns to Marseille
First Meeting Between the Two Clubs
Marseille and Villarreal are regulars in European competitions but the two sides have never met before. On Thursday that will change when Villarreal head to France to take on Marseille in the first leg of the Europa League Round of 16.
Villarreal coach Marcelino also started off the season as Marseille’s manager but resigned after just seven matches in charge. It hasn’t been either club’s strongest season but they’re both looking for European silverware. Prior to Thursday’s match, we’ll analyze and preview the Marseille vs Villarreal UEL odds.
Marseille vs Villarreal
Day/Time:
Location: Stade Velodrome, Marseille, France
Marseille vs Villarreal Head-to-Head
Again, this is the first-ever opportunity to bet on the Marseille vs Villarreal UEL odds. Marseille haven’t faced a Spanish side since losing 3-0 to Atletico Madrid in the 2018 Europa League final. Meanwhile, Villarreal are 4-2-4 vs French teams all-time and they did defeat Rennes twice in the group stage.
Marseille Score Five for First Time in 2023-24
Marseille scored five goals for the first time this season when they took down Clermont 5-1 in a Ligue 1 match last Saturday. Five different Marseille players got on the scoresheet and substitute striker Faris Moumbagna registered a goal and an assist in just 15 minutes of game time.
After winning none of their previous six Ligue 1 matches, OM have won their first two under new head coach Jean-Louis Gasset. Marseille also defeated Shakhtar Donetsk 3-1 in the second leg of the Europa League knockout play-off in Gasset’s first match in charge.
Aubameyang scored the opener vs Shakhtar and he’s scored in each of the last three UEL matches. The Gabonese striker has been a big reason why OM have picked up solid Europa League results this season. He’s now the Europa League’s all-time leading goalscorer, with 31 goals in 56 appearances.
This season he’s found the net seven times in seven appearances and leads the competition in goals. Amine Harit and Jonathan Clauss are joint-leaders in assists, with five.
Harit is the only player to provide five assists from open play in the UEL and he’s created 17 chances, which is more than any other UEL player. OM have won their last three home matches in the Europa League and are going for a fourth straight for the first time since the 2017-18 UEL, when they reached the final.
This season, Marseille are an unbeaten 11-6-0 at the Velodrome. The latest Marseille vs Villarreal UEL odds list OM as -110 favorites for the first leg. For Thursday’s match, Samuel Gigot, Jordan Veretout, Michael Murillo and Valentin Rongier are out injured.
Villarreal Quietly on Unbeaten Run
Overall, it’s been quite a disappointing season for Villarreal. As things stand, they’re in 12th place in La Liga, 23 points outside of the top four.
They have a losing record both home and away this season but picked up a big result on Sunday. Alexander Sorloth scored a hat trick as Villarreal destroyed Granada 5-1. Unbelievably, it marked the first time all season Villarreal have won back-to-back La Liga games.
Still, they did finish in first place in the Group F Europa League table, with a 4-1-1 record. Sorloth and Alex Baena led the team in the group stage, with two goals apiece. Heading into Thursday’s match, Villarreal are quietly on a seven game unbeaten run, in all competitions.
They’ve taken down both Barcelona and Real Sociedad on their streak and haven’t lost since mid January.
Villarreal aren’t uncomfortable when they don’t have much of the ball, either. In the wins vs Barcelona and Sociedad, they only had 30 percent possession and picked their spots. One of their biggest counter attack threats, Yeremy Pino, is out for the UEL season, though.
He joins Raul Albiol, Ramon Terrats and Juan Foyth on the sidelines. Plus, Alfonso Pedraza, Ilias Akhomach, Filip Jorgensen and Santi Comesaña are listed as questionable.
Marseille vs Villarreal Match Analysis & Odds
The Europa League odds currently list both Marseille and Villarreal at a -120 price to advance to the Quarter-Final. This is expected to be one of the most competitive round of 16 fixtures and both sides have picked up their form lately.
Marseille have scored 12 goals in their last three games and are looking dangerous. The Marseille vs Villarreal UEL odds currently price OM as -110 favorites to win the first leg.
Marseille last lost at home in May 2023 and a draw comes in at +270 odds for this one. The hosts are on a nine game scoring streak at the Velodrome but Marseille under 1.5 goals sits at -135 odds.
Meanwhile, bettors can back Villarreal at +280 odds and Marcelino will undoubtedly want to win this one after the fans basically forced him out of Marseille back in September.
Villarreal +0.5 sits at -120 odds and they made it to the final in their last Europa League appearance, in 2020-21. Although both UEL teams have scored quite a few goals in recent weeks, under 2.5, 3 goals are priced at -120 odds. We have a feeling Marseille’s home unbeaten run will continue here.
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