The draw is in! Olympique Marseille will face Portuguese Benfica in the quarter-finals of the European League. After beating Villarreal, Jean-Louis Gasset's men will have to do just that Against second in the Portuguese Championship. An uncertain encounter gives the Olympians a taste of revenge.
Next to Liverpool, Milan or even Bayer Leverkusen, a draw with the Portuguese club seems like a godsend for OM, but their last meeting against Villarreal He doubts their chances of achieving something. Having largely dominated their rival in the first leg (4-0), Marseille agonizingly qualified after a 3-1 defeat. The Round of 16, like their season, is full of ups and downs, especially with Gattuso's adventure ending prematurely.
They face a team accustomed to European competitions, but in very poor condition. He qualified without impressing against Glasgow Rangers2-2 in the first leg and then 0-1 in the return leg, the Eagles have won just two of their last five matches. They particularly suffered defeat during the Lisbon derby against Sporting (2-1) and struggled A real humiliation in front of their rival, Porto, with five goals to zero.
Busy schedule for both teams
“We realize that This doubleheader is part of a busy and challenging schedule“But it is our duty, as Olympique de Marseille, to prepare as best as possible in order to meet expectations and continue to delight our fans on the European stage,” Marseille president, Pablo Longoria, responded on the club’s website. .
Indeed, before facing Benfica on April 11 in Lisbon, Marseille will play against Paris Saint-Germain on March 31, then against Lille on April 7. For its part, the Lisbon team will play two consecutive derby matches against Sporting, on April 3 and 7, before the quarter-finals.
A chance for revenge
Marseille and Benfica have a certain history, especially having reached the Ligue 1 semi-finals 34 years ago. Marseille met Lisbon in 1990 (2-1/0-1), and they were He was eliminated by a controversial act, the famous Hand of Fata.
Marseille also lost to Benfica in the round of 16 of the third division in 2010 (1-1/1-2). He will try for the first time to eliminate the Portuguese club The return match will be held at the Stade Velodrome on March 18.
Marseille achieved a historic performance with this hand-scored goal in the 83rd minute to exclude them from reaching the final, a story that is still being talked about in the Old Port.
