Evening Standard
·29 April 2024
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Yahoo sportsEvening Standard
·29 April 2024
Atalanta’s first-ever European semi-final takes them to the south of France for the first leg of their tie with Marseille on Thursday.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s remarkable run with the Bergamo club continued with a shock dismantling of Liverpool in the quarters and they can now dream of reaching the final ahead of a tie that is very difficult to predict.
France’s seventh-best team face Italy’s sixth-best after strong Europa League campaigns for both.
Marseille, led by the competition’s all-time top scorer in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, survived a penalty shootout with Benfica and nearly surrendered a four-goal lead to Villarreal to reach the final four.
Led by Jean-Louis Gasset, who succeeded Gennaro Gattuso in the dugout after being sacked by Ivory Coast mid-Africa Cup of Nations, Les Phocéens have reached the Europa final three times but never lifted the trophy.
Marseille vs Atalanta is scheduled for an 8pm BST kick-off on Thursday, May 2, 2024.
The match will take place at the Stade Velodrome.
Atalanta shocked Liverpool in the last round
AFP via Getty Images
TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on TNT Sports 3, with coverage beginning at 7.45pm.
Live stream: Subscribers can also catch the contest live online via the Discovery+ app and website.
Marseille midfielder Pape Gueye scored in the recent win over Lens but is unregistered for the Europa League. Geoffrey Kondogbia should replace the Senegal international.
Faris Moumbagna could return after serving a Ligue 1 suspension. Absent through injury are Valentin Rongier, Bilal Nadir and Bamo Meite. Left-back Quentin Merlin is also missing and replacement Ulisses Garcia is another not eligible for this competition.
Gianluca Scamacca should be fit after sitting out Atalanta’s weekend win over Empoli.
Central defender Isak Hien is banned while Emil Holm and Rafael Toloi will miss out.
Both teams may want to play it safe with so much at stake.
A 1-1 draw.
This will be the first competitive meeting between the two teams.
Marseille: 29/20
Atalanta: 9/5
Draw: 9/4