Marseille will be aiming to maintain their unbeaten record in the Europa League as they host AEK Athens in a Group E fixture. High scoring, end to end encounters have been the norm in this group and Thursday’s clash is expected to follow a similar outcome and produce goals.
AEK Athens suffered a 3-1 defeat in the reverse fixture with Marseille with Orbelin Pineda's second half effort proving a mere consolation. That was their first defeat in Group E having begun with a 3-2 win in Brighton before holding out for a 1-1 draw at Ajax.
Like Marseille, defending has been a problem for AEK Athens as they have struggled to keep things tight at the back. Matias Almeyda’s men are without a single clean sheet in the Europa League, conceding six goals in just three matches.
Marseille will head into Thursday’s clash with confidence having gone unbeaten in eight of their last 10 matches claiming six wins in that run. However, they head into Thursday’s clash off the back of a 1-1 draw with Kifisia in a domestic fixture last weekend.
It has been a solid enough Europa League campaign for Marseille so far, as they are yet to taste defeat after three matches. They began with draws with Ajax and Brighton before picking up a 3-1 victory over AEK Athens last time out.
While things appear to be progressing steadily for Marseille in the Europa League, it has been an overall erratic campaign so far for the French giants. Manager Gennaro Gattuso is still attempting to get the best out of his team, who have picked up just two wins from their last 10 matches across all competitions and were held 0-0 by Lille in a Ligue 1 fixture last weekend.
Marseille have also found things difficult on their travels and are winless in their last seven away matches across all competitions. They have also struggled defensively, failing to keep a single clean sheet in that run.
How the bookies view it
AEK Athens have a slight edge among the bookies with a home win priced at 6/4 with Betfred. A victory for Marseille is valued at 9/5 by bet365 while William Hill is offering odds of 5/2 for a draw.
Head to head
The reverse fixture was the first ever meeting between AEK Athens and Marseille.
Players to watch
Ezequiel Ponce often leads the line for AEK Athens and will be the one to watch n on Thursday. The striker was on target in the Greek side’s only win in Group E and is priced at 2/1 by Paddy Power to find the net on Thursday.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is usually the furthest player forward for Marseille and could be worth keeping an eye on. The striker netted a brace in the last away fixture in the Europa League and is priced at 11/5 by Paddy Power to find the net on Thursday.
Anything else catch the eye?
There have been a few high-scoring encounters in Group E with AEK Athens and Marseille producing over 3.5 goals last time out. A repeat could be on the cards at 39/20 by Unibet, who is also offering odds of 3/4 for over 2.5 goals.
Athens have opened the scoring in three of their last four home matches and could be tipped to grab the first goal on Thursday at 10/11 with BoyleSports.
This UEFA Europa League match between AEK Athens and Marseille will be played on Nov 9, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best AEK Athens vs Marseille prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
