BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION bring the curtain down on their Europa League group stage campaign with a home game against Marseille on Thursday night.
After stumbling out of the traps in their maiden European campaign, the Seagulls have since won three games on the bounce to secure qualification with a game to spare.
However, Roberto De Zerbi’s side are sitting in second spot in the section, just one point behind group leaders and final night opponents Marseille.
Brighton go into this group decider off the back of a 1-1 draw with Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Marseille have hit a bit of form of late, having won each of their last four matches across all competitions, the most recent of which was a 4-2 win at Lorient.
Gennaro Gattuso’s guests are the only side who have yet to taste defeat in Group B, though the acid test comes on matchday six away at Brighton.
Outright Betting
Brighton are 8/13 favourites at Bet 365 as they look to make it four Europa League victories in succession.
October’s reverse fixture ended all square and another stalemate on the south coast can be backed at 16/5 (William Hill) while a Marseille triumph is trading at 18/5 (Betfred).
Betting Angles
I successfully backed Both Teams to Score and Over 2.5 Goals in the reverse fixture in France and I’m happy to go with the same angle of attack again at the Amex on Thursday night.
While Albion continue to earn plenty of plaudits for their proactive approach, they have proved susceptible to their opponents all season long.
Roberto De Zerbi’s rearguard have recorded a mere three clean sheets in 22 outings across all competitions this season so far, conceding in all 16 of their Premier League assignments, so they could struggle to silence in-form Marseille.
However, the Seagulls strengths lie at the other end of the park, as evidenced by the fact that they have only failed to strike once across that aforementioned 22 game sample this term.
Therefore, the high-octane hosts should be capable of continuing their hot-streak in front of goal against a Marseille side who also leak more than their fair share.
The French giants have kept just one clean sheet in five Europa League outings this season, shipping two or more goals on three of those occasions.
In fact, four of the visitors’ five continental contests this season have seen both teams contribute to games featuring Over 2.5 Goals, with four of those fixtures breaking the 3.5 goal barrier.
With all that in mind, coupled with the fact that this bet would have paid out in four of Marseille’s five Europa League matches this season, supporting the same combination on Thursday night stands out at 5/6 (Bet 365).
This UEFA Europa League match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Marseille will be played on Dec 14, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Brighton & Hove Albion vs Marseille prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
