It is all to play for in the Europa League, as Brighton and Marseille both aim for top spot in Group B.
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Thursday Night Drama
Both Brighton and Marseille are already secured further European football, but who will earn automatic entry to the Europa League Round of 16?
Avoiding Drop Downs
After Brighton got the better of AEK Athens in Matchday 5 of this season’s Europa League, all eyes would have been on the clash between Marseille and Ajax at the Stade Velodrome just a few hours later.
Anything less than victory for Marseille would have kept Roberto De Zerbi’s men at the top of Group B and in pole position before the visit of the Ligue 1 outfit this coming Thursday. However, victory was precisely what their French counterparts delivered.
It may have been victory for the team that is overseen by Gennaro Gattuso, but Ajax certainly ran them close and with the Dutch outfit finding themselves on the wrong side of a seven-goal thriller, the entertainment factor was certainly high on the Côte d’Azur.
Seven goals in total, three points for the team known as OM and that additional trio of entries into Marseille’s Europa League bank account means they find themselves one point clear of the team that hosts them on Thursday.
A margin that means a draw would be good enough for the visitors, as both teams look to top the final Group B standings and with the reward being the avoidance of any Champions League parachuted outfit, the question is whether Gattuso’s men play for the draw or go for more?
While it was a draw that was recorded when these two sides met in France on Matchday 2. Marseille would find themselves 2-0 ahead within 20 minutes, they would find themselves pegged back to 2-2 by the end of 88.
A Joao Pedro penalty restored parity on the night, parity that gave Brighton their first ever European point and since getting off the mark, the East Sussex outfit have not missed a step in their charge across the continent.
Three further fixtures had followed, three further victories in the bag. Their form in Europe has been impeccable since late October, the same cannot be said though for their form in the Premier League.
Whether these Thursday exploits are having a detrimental effect on the Sunday domestic duels that followed can be argued. However, a draw at home to Burnley last Saturday can largely be blamed on a lack of cutting edge when it truly mattered.
But now it is time for the first of my two tips and with Brighton stuttering at home, I have a feeling their top spot bid ends in tatters. Marseille go into the game top, and I think they will confirm that position with the away win at odds of 7/2.
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Brighton vs Marseille Tips
Our First Prediction
In addition to this, I am backing a half time draw as both teams go through a feeling out process in the first 45 only for the visitors to edge it after the interval. If the game plays out like this, it also pays out 9/1.
Brighton vs Marseille Tips
Our Second Prediction
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