BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION must get themselves up off the canvas in short order when they travel to France to face Marseille in the Europa League on Thursday evening.
The Seagulls have made a promising start to the season but they make the trip to the Stade Vélodrome off the back of a 6-1 shredding at Aston Villa on Saturday.
Roberto De Zerbi is now tasked with lifting the spirits of his side this midweek as they look to get up and running in Group B at the second attempt.
Albion's European debut didn't quite go to plan as AEK Athens played the role of party poopers in a pulsating 3-2 win at the Amex a fortnight ago.
As for Marseille, they were also involved in a chaotic contest on matchday one as they twice came from behind to earn a 3-3 draw at Ajax.
The French heavyweights were rocked by the shock resignation of Marcelino last month but they have since hired Gennaro Gattuso, though the Italian's tenure didn't get off to an ideal start in a 3-2 defeat at Monaco on Saturday.
Outright Betting
Despite having far more European pedigree than that of their opponents, Marseille go into this match as 15/8 (Bet 365) outsiders while a share of the Stade Vélodrome spoils pays 14/5 (Boylesports).
Brighton & Hove Albion are 13/10 favourites with Bet 365 to claim what would be their first-ever competitive victory on the continent
Betting Angles
Goals are usually on the agenda when Brighton are involved and there is plenty of scope for a repeat here with Both Teams to Score and Over 2.5 Goals appealing at 4/5 (Boylesports).
While the Seagulls have rightly earned plenty of plaudits for their positive style of play under Roberto De Zerbi, they showed just how susceptible they are to conceding goals in their aforementioned 6-1 loss at Aston Villa last time out.
In fact, Albion have failed to keep a clean sheet in each of their nine contests across all competitions this season so far, shipping three at home to AEK Athens in their aforementioned Group B curtain-raiser.
It would be fair to say that a trip to Marseille will represent an upgrade on Brighton's maiden European match-up so they could struggle to keep their hosts at bay.
However, at the the other end of the park Gennaro Gattuso has inherited a side that have leaked 10 goals across their last three matches, which doesn't bode well ahead of a visit form a Brighton side that more often than not get in on the scoring act.
Given that BTTS and Overs has clicked in eight of the Seagulls' nine matches this season, the 4/5 (Boylesports) about a repeat on Thursday evening is a price that definitely represents value.
On a similar line of reasoning to the above, I'll also go with the even-money on offer with William Hill for Roberto De Zerbi's side to deliver Over 1.5 Team Goals.
This bet would have paid out in seven of the visitors' nine outings across all competitions this season and they are certainly capable of striking twice against a Marseille side low on confidence.
This UEFA Europa League match between Marseille and Brighton & Hove Albion will be played on Oct 5, 2023 and kick off at 17:45. Check below for our tipsters best Marseille vs Brighton & Hove Albion prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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