Marseille hold the advantage as they travel to PAOK for the second leg of their Europa Conference League quarter-final tie. The French club have looked almost unstoppable in recent weeks and should be too strong for their out of sorts hosts.
PAOK were second best to Marseille in last week’s first leg in which they lost 2-1. They went into the break two goals down and despite pulling one back through Omar El Kaddouri, failed to find the leveller.
That result is a pointer to PAOK’s recent struggles as they have now lost their last two matches across all competitions. Razvan Lucescu’s men were also beaten 2-1 by Panathanaikos in a Greek Super League fixture prior to the defeat in France.
The first leg defeat also highlights PAOK’s defensive problems as they have conceded four goals in their last two matches. They have also kept just one clean sheet in their last five Europa Conference League matches.
Marseille are looking to do the double over PAOK following the victory in last week’s first leg. They made a fast start and raced to a two-goal lead thanks to efforts from Dimitri Payet and Gerson, who was then sent off late on.
The French side appear to have hit their stride in recent weeks and have won their last seven matches across all competitions. They warmed up for the trip to Greece with a 2-0 victory over Montpellier in a Ligue 1 fixture last Sunday.
Marseille have been just as impressive on their recent travels and are unbeaten in their last six away matches. Jorge Sampaoli’s men have claimed five wins in that run, including a 3-0 victory at Qarabag in their previous away fixture in the Europa League.
How the bookies view it
Marseille have the edge among the bookies and are priced at 13/10 by SBK to claim the win. A victory for PAOK is valued at 23/10 by bet365 while SBK is also offering odds of 23/10 for a draw.
Head to head
Last week’s clash was the first ever meeting between PAOK and Marseille.
Players to watch
Andrija Zivkovic was one of the standout players for PAOK in the first leg and could be worth keeping an eye on. The attacker is often a handful with his pace and movement and is priced at 10/3 by bet365 to get on the score sheet.
Dimitri Payet grabbed Marseille’s second goal in the first leg and will once again be the one to watch. The midfielder has now scored in two of his last three matches and is priced at 12/5 by bet365 to find the net on Thursday.
Anything else catch the eye?
There were over 2.5 goals in the first leg and a similar outcome is priced at 5/4 with William Hill. Over 3.5 goals is valued at 10/3 by Unibet while both teams could be backed to score at 22/23 by SBK.
Marseille have led at the break in three of their last four matches and could be set for a halftime win on Thursday at 21/10 with William Hill.
This UEFA Europa League Conference match between PAOK and Marseille will be played on Apr 14, 2022 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best PAOK vs Marseille prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
