Olympique Marseille travel to Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday at 21:00 in the fourth round of the Europa League, a match in which the French club are seeking to salvage their continental campaign after a difficult start. Marseille enter this encounter with three defeats in the first three rounds, against Beşiktaş (4-1), Olympiacos (0-1) and Sturm Graz (1-0), leaving them 34th out of 36 teams.
On the other hand, Leverkusen appear in a much better position, having won their first three matches and sitting third in the standings. This contrast in results puts clear pressure on coach Bruno Genesio’s squad, who need a positive result to keep their qualification hopes alive.
Marseille’s squad is dealing with significant absences ahead of this clash. Emerson missed collective training on Wednesday after a knee injury sustained against Toulouse (2-0), forcing him off after just twenty minutes, and he may be rested for the league match against Lens. Amin Harit did not participate in the last training session, and his involvement in the match remains uncertain according to press reports, after he suffered a muscle injury in the Classique on 20 September.
Meanwhile, young player Kylian Abdallah has returned to training with the first team after a spell with the reserves and could be included in the squad travelling to Germany. Several other young players also took part in the session, while Derek Cornelius is also absent due to a hip injury.
Domestic form gives Marseille a morale boost
Marseille arrive at this match in high spirits after four consecutive wins in Ligue 1 against Toulouse, Troyes, Angers and Le Havre, which lifted the team to sixth place. However, coach Bruno Genesio admitted after the win over Toulouse that there is a lingering psychological “shock” from last season, when the team dropped many points in the final minutes, noting that the players are still cautious about periods of decline in matches.
This statement reflects Marseille’s need for mental stability in European fixtures, as the team have so far failed to translate their domestic results into continental points. The clash with Leverkusen will be a real test of the group’s ability to overcome the pressure of a stuttering start.
Given these circumstances, all eyes are on the BayArena, where Marseille will try to avoid a fourth defeat that would further complicate their position in the competition, while Leverkusen seek to continue their winning run and strengthen their place in the upper reaches of the table.
