Villarreal take on the visitors Marseille in the first leg of UEFA Europa League 1/8-finals. First leg result: 0-4. The match will be played on Thursday, February 14th at Estadio de la Ceramica (Villarreal).
As they say, all is lost except honor. This applies to the Spaniards in their confrontation with Marseille. In football, of course, anything can happen. But I think that only the most devoted fans of the Yellow Submarine believe in a comeback for the team after a 0-4 deficit over two legs. Nonetheless, the second leg is still to come, and native fans will come to watch it, and bonuses for a win or draw have not been canceled. I believe that Villarreal will at least not lose to Marseille at home. Yes, the team performed poorly in France, but that was its only defeat in nine recent matches in all competitions. Just before the match with the Provencal team, the Yellow Submarine defeated Real Sociedad (3-1) and Granada (4-1), and after that, they defeated Betis (3-2).
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Marseille are also in good form right now. Before the first leg against the Spaniards, they dealt with Montpellier (4-1) and Clermont (5-1) at home, and later defeated Nantes (2-0). In the second leg against Villarreal, the Provencals, of course, will not exert themselves for victory; all their efforts are better directed towards the national championship, where the battle for European qualification is in full swing. But playing for their own pleasure, without pressure for results, thereby helping the hosts to exceed the Over 2.5 goals threshold, the French are capable of doing. I note that in nine matches played in the current Europa League campaign, Marseille have scored at least three goals alongside their opponents on seven occasions within 90 minutes.
In the first match between these teams, viewers witnessed four goals. Recently, both Villarreal and Marseille have been consistently playing Over 2.5 goals in their domestic leagues. I dare to assume that at least three goals will be scored in the second leg between the Spaniards and the French in the Europa League Round of 16. Despite this, I bet on Villarreal not to lose. Losing again, especially at home after a 0-4 defeat away, would be shameful for Marcelino's team. As for the visitors, they don't need anything from the second leg anymore; all the players' thoughts are already on the next stage of the tournament. And let's not forget that Marcelino is a former head coach of Marseille, dismissed from there, to put it mildly, in an unfriendly atmosphere. So, in addition to seeking revenge for the humiliating defeat in the first leg, the main coach of the hosts also has a personal reason to try to defeat the visitors at least on the second attempt. My prediction is 1X + Over 2.5 goals.
Prediction for the match: Villarreal not to lose (1X) and Over 2.5 scored goals.
