Marseille vs Atalanta Europa League semi-final first leg preview: Where to watch, kick-off time, predicted line-ups

Marseille and Atalanta meet in their UEFA Europa League semi-final first leg on Thursday 2 May.

Where to watch Marseille vs Atalanta

Fans can find their local UEFA Europa League broadcast partner(s) here.

What do you need to know?

The two teams are meeting for the first time in UEFA club competition, with Marseille hoping to reach the final of the UEFA Cup/Europa League for a fourth time (having lost in the 1999, 2004 and 2018 deciders, all without scoring). They made it past Benfica on penalties in the quarter-finals despite being beset by injuries, and boast the competition's all-time and current top scorer in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. However, they have won only one of their last five home games against Italian sides (D1 L3).

Gian Piero Gasperini's Atalanta produced a masterful away performance in the quarter-finals, beating competition favourites Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield, and the Bergamo outfit are dreaming of a first-ever European final: to date, their biggest honour has been winning the 1962/63 Coppa Italia. Their only previous game in France ended in a 1-1 draw at Lyon in the 2017/18 Europa League group stage. A similar result in front of OM's passionate home fans might be very handy indeed.

Predicted line-ups

Marseille: López; Clauss, Murillo, Mbemba, Balerdi, Luis Henrique; Harit, Kondogbia, Veretout; Sarr, Aubameyang
Suspended: Samuel Gigot

Atalanta: Musso; Djimsiti, Scalvini, Kolašinac; Hateboer, De Roon, Éderson, Ruggeri; Koopmeiners, Pašalić; Scamacca
Suspended: Isak Hien

Form guide

Marseille
Form (all competitions, most recent first): WDDWLL
Most recent result: Marseille 2-1 Lens, 28/04, French Ligue 1

Atalanta
Form (all competitions, most recent first): WWWLDW
Most recent result: Atalanta 2-0 Empoli, 28/04, Italian Serie A

Expert prediction

Andy Scott, Marseille reporter
Marseille have often struggled domestically this season but their Europa League run has been thrilling, and now their supporters are dreaming of reaching the final, just like they did in 2018. They have been outstanding at home but have found the going tougher on the road, which makes getting a good result in the first leg of this semi-final surely vital. Much will likely depend on Aubameyang, who has scored 27 goals this season including ten in this competition.

Paolo Menicucci, Atalanta reporter
Atalanta are flying in all competitions. As well as reaching this stage by beating Liverpool in the previous round, they have also already booked a Coppa Italia final place and are well situated in the race to earn a UEFA Champions League spot via Serie A. With Gianluca Scamacca in the form of his life, excellent organisation all over the pitch and the enthusiasm of the whole city pushing the team, the sky is the limit. "Playing Atlanta is like going to the dentist," Pep Guardiola said in 2019. Jürgen Klopp can confirm that it is still the case.

What the coaches say

Jean-Louis Gasset, Marseille coach: "There are lots of good players in the academy and we are going to use some of them between now and the end of the season. Those five defeats [in a row before the quarter-final win against Benfica] included European games against Villarreal and Benfica, but when you play a two-legged European tie, the only thing that counts is whether you qualify."

Gian Piero Gasperini, Atalanta coach: "We care about winning something, but seeing the unity of these lads is a prize as well. At half-time [against Liverpool], I asked them if they wanted to drop back a bit and defend deeper if they were feeling the pressure, but they said absolutely not. That is like a trophy for me because it means they think like me."

Destination: Dublin

Sportsfile via Getty Images

The 2023/24 Europa League season will conclude at Dublin Arena in the Republic of Ireland on Wednesday 22 May.