Infoinsport.com – Marseille will aim to reverse a slight disadvantage as they welcome Panathinaikos for the second leg of their third qualifying round match in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
Panathinaikos, having secured a 1-0 victory in Greece last week, will carry an advantage into the second leg of the clash as Bernard, who came off the bench, scored the winning goal late in the match for Ivan Jovanovic’s team.
Marseille secured a third-place finish in Ligue 1 last season, enabling them to qualify for the third qualifying round of the Champions League. They are currently aiming to achieve consecutive campaigns in the competition’s group stage, after participating in Group D alongside Tottenham Hotspur, Eintracht Frankfurt, and Sporting Lisbon last year.
Les Olympiens came close to securing a positive draw in the first leg, but the red card given to Geoffrey Kondogbia in the 65th minute made it challenging for the visiting team, allowing Panathinaikos to score in the later part of the match.
Marseille will go into this match after achieving a positive result, as they emerged victorious with a 2-1 win over Reims in their Ligue 1 opener on Saturday, with goals scored by Azzedine Ounahi and Vitinha.
Marcelino’s side has been extremely active during the transfer window this summer, with the arrivals of Iliman Ndiaye, Ismaila Sarr, Renan Lodi, Kondogbia, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Although Panathinaikos will certainly be the fresher team heading into the second leg, the fact that Marseille played on Saturday could potentially be advantageous for them in this match.
In fact, the Greek team will not start their domestic season until the following weekend against Atromitos. As a result, they have been able to fully concentrate on the Champions League this year.
Panathinaikos has already had to win one tie in order to advance to this round of the competition, as they finished second in the Super League Greece last term, which placed them in the second qualifying round.
Jovanovic’s team won 3-1 against Dnipro-1 in the first leg of their second qualifying round match, and then drew 2-2 in the second leg last week. As a result, they progressed to the next round with a total score of 5-3.
The Greens have not participated in the group stage of the Champions League since the 2010-11 campaign, so it would be quite an accomplishment if they managed to qualify for the main tournament.
Panathinaikos has successfully completed six signings this summer, with the arrivals of Tonny Vilhena, Erik Palmer-Brown, Filip Djuricic, Filip Mladenovic, Zeca, and Tin Jedvaj at the club.
Marseille vs Panathinaikos Prediction
Marseille possible starting lineup:
Lopez; Clauss, Gigot, Balerdi, Lodi; Sarr, Veretout, Guendouzi, Ounahi; Ndiaye, Aubameyang
Panathinaikos possible starting lineup:
Brignoli; Vagiannidis, Jedvaj, Magnusson, Juankar; Perez, Vilhena; Mancini, Duricic, Verbic; Sporar
Marseille 2-0 Panathinaikos (Marseille win 2-1 on aggregate)
Marseille will believe in their ability to reverse the situation in their favor when playing on their home ground. This upcoming match on Tuesday night promises to be an intriguing one. Panathinaikos should be acknowledged with admiration, although Marseille possesses sufficient skill to overcome the one-goal disadvantage and advance to the playoff round.
