On Thursday, Benfica will host Marseille in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-finals.
The Marseille team arrives with little confidence, having suffered four consecutive defeats. But in Portugal, there’s caution regarding this team, particularly their main offensive threat: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
When Jean-Louis Gasset arrived at Marseille last February, the club was enjoying a streak of five consecutive wins. However, the momentum suddenly halted, and Marseille now sits on four straight losses with only two goals scored. Against Benfica, supporters will likely rely on their striker: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
An OM comeback? With Jean-Louis Gasset at the helm, Marseille has won twice and lost once in the Europa League. Facing Marcelino’s Villarreal, the French coach managed to guide his team to the quarter-finals. Squaring off against Benfica, who defeated Toulouse in the previous round, Aubameyang’s teammates will surely aim to end their four-match losing streak.
“It will always be a team effort to stop Aubameyang.”
Benfica’s German coach, Roger Schmidt, admitted in a press conference to being wary of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: “It will always be a team effort to stop him. He’s a very experienced player, fast, and very intelligent in his positioning. Controlling him won’t be a task for just one player but for the whole team. We need to be well-prepared for when we lose possession of the ball. We’ll need to react quickly.”
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