Marseille vs Shakhtar Donetsk

With all to play for in an exciting Europa League knockout playoff tie between Marseille and Shakhtar Donetsk, the two sides meet in a decisive contest at Stade Velodrome.

Following an enthralling 2-2 draw in the first leg and a disheartening 1-0 loss to 10-man Brest in Ligue 1 at the weekend, the Marseille powerbrokers felt it’s time to wave goodbye to underperforming manager Gennaro Gattuso. Incoming boss Jean-Louis Gasset has an awkward assignment on his touchline debut as he bids to end Marseille’s underwhelming seven-game winless streak in all competitions (D4, L3) and help them defy a disastrous all-time record against Ukrainian sides (W1, D4, L2). The French giants’ quest to progress into the next Europa League knockout tie also hinges on arresting a three-game winless run at Stade Velodrome (D3). Luckily, Velodrome has been a fortress in Europe, with ‘Les Olympiens’ going unbeaten in 13 of their last 15 continental outings on home turf (W9, D4).

Meanwhile, Shakhtar Donetsk must be aware they’re the only Ukrainian side left in Europe, albeit the only one to hand Marseille a taste of victory. Despite that upset, they still boast an impressive all-time European record against French opposition (W9, D6, L5). A lack of competitive form could be an issue, with the Ukrainian champions set to resume later this month. That casts doubt on their hopes of improving a lackluster away form in continental action after suffering eight defeats on their last 11 European travels (W2, D1). More concerns stem from an unwanted piece of history, with Shakhtar bowing out of all four previous two-legged UEFA ties after drawing the first leg at home 2-2.