Feyenoord – Marseille

Feyenoord do not look favourites against Marseille, even at home

Feyenoord take on Marseille in Rotterdam on Thursday 28 April in the first leg of the Conference League semi-final. The Dutch club are showing every sign of improvement this season. The club is third in the league behind only Ajax and PSV. In this case, the number of points already guarantees participation in the European competitions next year. The main focus is on the Conference League. Arne Slota's side made it through the group stage, finishing in first place. There were no significant problems in the play-offs, although there were some tough opponents. Feyenoord shipped plenty of goals to everyone. Slavia, notorious for their defensive prowess, got six goals in two games. Partizan tried to play on defense but got eight goals. Feyenoord's style is quite clear. The team plays very bravely, presses high and is not afraid to open up. In this sense, the clash with Ajax is indicative. The club from Amsterdam won, but in an extremely entertaining encounter - 3-2. So, the hosts are certainly not going to betray themselves and be intimidated by Marseille. Marseille are having a very successful season. Under Jorge Sampaoli, the Provençal have made their mark as the second team in France. It is a quality achievement, given the unlikely race with PSG. Marseille have won nine of their last ten games. The only defeat was to PSG, albeit by a narrow margin. Jorge Sampaoli's style differs significantly from Dutch football. For example the matches against PAOK and Basel in the Conference League. In the last game, Marseille did not shine, but they beat Reims 1-0 away from home. Importantly, in Ligue 1, the team have almost solved their main task for the season - second place out of direct danger. In the Conference League, there is an opportunity to compete for a trophy. In that case, the season will be perfect. Marseille was feverish in the first half of the season, the club only finished third in the group stage of the Europa League, but is now in great shape. In terms of the quality of players, the advantage is with the French. It is important that there are no major losses. Payet, Gendouzi and other key players are ready to take to the pitch. The bookmakers are surprising with very high odds for Marseille. The chances of the opponents are at least equal. Marseille look to be the objective favourite in the pairing and can make a significant lead in the first match.