Atalanta-Marseille, the Europa League semi-final on TV: probable lineups and where to see it

Bergamo, 8 May 2024 – Atalanta in search of history. The second leg of the semifinal will be played on Thursday 9 May at the Gewiss Stadium Europa League between the Goddess and the Marseille and we start from one to one in the first leg, a result that leaves the game completely open. The team of Gasperini is chasing the Champions League in the championship, has reached Roma, has one game in hand and will host the Giallorossi over the weekend, but is also at stake in the Italian Cup, final on May 15th with the Juve, and in the Europa League where they will need to beat Olympique to access the final match scheduled in Dublin on Wednesday 22 May. It would be a historic achievement for the Nerazzurri who have never won a European trophy in their long history. It will be a tough week for the Nerazzurri. Fifth place in the standings, equal to Roma, keeps La Dea in the Champions League race, which is also four points behind Bologna fourth and on Sunday Roma arrive at Gewiss. Double opportunity for Atalanta who can reach the Champions League via ranking or by winning the Europa League. On May 15th, however, the Italian Cup final against Juve but with the heavy disqualification of Scamacca, who will in fact be the starter against Marseille and presumably against Roma. In short, Marseille, Roma, Juventus triptych in the space of seven days. In the first two cases, the Dea will be able to rely on the audience at the Gewiss Stadium, which will have to be very hot, exactly like the one in Marseille in the first leg. Furthermore, a courageous and attentive performance will be needed to try to win a difficult match against an athletic, physical and technical team.

The qualification criteria

The first leg ended one by one with goals from Chess at 11 a.m mbemba in the 20th minute, with Atalanta suffering but gritting their teeth in the presence of a very hot Velodrome. The result was all in all fair and leaves the game open for the return leg. With the abolition of the away goals rule, the qualification criteria are very clear. Atalanta needs to win with any result in regulation to go through. In the event of a draw in the 90th minute, extra time will be played, without a Golden goal, and in the event of a further draw, it will be up to penalties to decide the finalist.

Probable lineups

He won't do calculations Gasperini who initially rested some big names in the championship match in Salerno, then deployed them in the second half given the Granata advantage to be overturned in the chase for the Champions League. Consolidated 3-4-1-2 for Gasp who will rely on Scalvini, Djimsiti and Hien in defense, Zappacosta, De Roon, Ederson and Ruggeri in midfield, while the usual will act between the lines koopmeiners behind The Ketelaere e Chess. 4-man defense for Gasset's Marseille who will deploy the 4-3-3 with Clauss, Mbemba, Balerdi and Murillo in front of Lopez, Harit in the middle, Veretout e Kondogbia, while in attack there is room for Sarr, Aubameyang and Luis Henrique.

Atalanta (3-4-1-2): Musso; Scalvini, Djimsiti, Hien; Zappacosta, De Roon, Ederson, Ruggeri; Koopmeiners; De Ketelaere, Scamacca. All. Gasperini.

Marseille (4-3-3): Lopez; Clauss, Mbemba, Balerdi, Murillo; Harit, Veretout, Kondogbia; Sarr, Aubameyang, Luis Henrique. All. Gasset

Previous

The only precedent between the two teams dates back to the first leg which ended 1-1, but in general the Dea have played eight times against French teams with a record of five victories (two against Metz e Strasbourg and one against the Lyon), a draw and a defeat. The latter matured with PSG in the final phase of the Champions League in the midst of the pandemic. The quarter-finals were played in a single match and with the advantage of Pasalic in the first half the Parisians responded with two goals in injury time Marquinhos e Choupo Moting. As for Marseille, there is a precedent against an Italian team in the semi-finals of the Europa League, then the UEFA Cup. It dates back to 1999 against Bologna, who were eliminated with a double draw due to away goals. At the 0-0 in Marseille there was the 1-1 in Bologna (Paramatti and final penalty of White).

The words of Gian Piero Gasperini

Decisive week for Atalanta which will have a thrilling triple commitment in seven days. We start with the Marseille Thursday 9 May, then the Rome at the weekend, a direct Champions League clash, and on May 15th the Italian Cup final with the Juve. All in one week. The thought of Gasperini to Sky: “We'll play a good part of the season in seven days and we hope to play the most important match later - his words - Satisfaction is the certainty of Europe, then we'll see what kind. We are confident after the result of the first leg and we want to reach a goal never achieved before." In Italy there is a lot of talk about the issue of calendars, too many games scheduled and the difficulty of including any recoveries. Meanwhile, the Marseille he had a little more time to prepare for the match: “We have been talking about the reduction of matches for some time, but we need to ensure that the championship matches are not changed with matches from other competitions. Everything would remain the same. Certainly many matches so close together are not only ideal but we shouldn't think about it. Head to Marseille." Only one step away from one historic European final, Gasp dreams of the feat: “We can reach a final and it would be an extraordinary achievement. In the first leg, Marseille made the pitch factor count and now it will be our turn. We want to go to the final." And also watch out for penalties, which are even more possible after the abolition of the away goals rule: "We will try them, because there is no draw and one of the two will have to win", Gasp commented.

Where to see it on TV

Atalanta-Marseille valid for the second leg of the Europa League semi-final is played Thursday 9 May at 21pm at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo, with paid live broadcast on Sky Sport Calcio, 202, Sky Sport 253 and Sky Sport 4K. Live streaming on Sky Go, Now TV and Dazn. On Sky commentary by Compagnoni-Marchegiani, on Dazn there will be Stefano Borghi.

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MANUEL MINGUZZI