Much has changed for Marseille since their preparations for their first UEFA Europa League game of the season after going unbeaten in the first five matches of their Ligue 1 campaign.
Manager Marcelino quit on the eve of their group-stage opener with Ajax, citing "intimidation, threats, insults and slander" from some fans who were still apparently enraged at the club's failure to qualify for the Champions League.
OM then shared four goals with their opponents in the first 38 minutes of their trip to Amsterdam, eventually earning a late 3-3 draw through Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's second of the game.
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Marseille's unbeaten start subsequently came to an end with a 4-0 defeat at Paris Saint-Germain, and former Valencia, Napoli and Milan manager Gennaro Gattuso has subsequently taken charge and overseen a 3-2 loss at leaders Monaco in which his new team twice held the lead.
All of which makes Brighton's surprise 3-2 home defeat to AEK Athens in their first ever European game seem relatively unremarkable.
Albion were hot favourites to beat the Greek side, who profited from counter-attacks and set-pieces and, with Ajax floundering and Marseille rudderless, look well poised to bely their status among some as the weakest team in the group.
Their victims on Matchday One recovered four days later, coming from behind to beat Bournemouth 3-1 in the Premier League at the Brighton Community Stadium, helped by a double from half-time substitute Kaoru Mitoma, which included a rapid equaliser.
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Marseille vs Brighton match facts
- Date: Thursday, October 5, 2023
- Kickoff Time: 5.45 p.m. BST
- Location: Stade Velodrome (Marseille, France)
- Last meeting: N/A
Marseille vs Brighton prediction, odds
- Full-time result: Brighton (13/10)
- Score prediction: Marseille 1-2 Brighton (17/2)
Plenty could depend on the impact Gattuso has in a short space of time, but the imperative for Brighton to put a point or three on the board and the hosts' recent instability make it conceivable that the Seagulls will capitalise on their plight.
Albion manager Roberto De Zerbi has admitted he is learning how to manage his squad through two games a week, and their somewhat naive showing against AEK was not helped by the absence of captain and defensive linchpin Lewis Dunk, the centre-back so often responsible for steadying and organising them at the back.
Dunk returned against Bournemouth, while Marseille's drubbing in Paris took their goals tally to one in four games around their draw with Ajax. A side containing the likes of Ismaila Sarr and Aubameyang, however, is clearly a threat.
| MAR win | Draw | BHA win | Both teams to score Y / N | Over / Under 2.5 goals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BetOnSports (UK) | 15/8 | 13/5 | 13/10 | 1/2, 6/4 | 4/7, 27/20 |
Marseille vs Brighton best bet
- Pick: Ansu Fati first goalscorer
- Odds: 8/1 (BetOnSports)
A coup for Brighton when he signed on loan for the rest of the season, Barcelona's Fati is the player we picked as a promising first goalscorer bet for his side's match against AEK, and his odds appeal again.
One of the most exciting young attacking players in Europe, Fati came close to scoring for Brighton on his debut in their 3-1 win at Manchester United and found the net in their surprise 6-1 hammering at Aston Villa on Saturday.
He missed a sitter at Chelsea in the Carabao Cup three days earlier but his performances so far suggest he could well produce goals in the Europa League, having had plenty of experience of European matches with Barca.
De Zerbi trusted Fati to play 90 minutes on his full debut for Brighton on their European bow, and the 20-year-old took possession 50 times and had one shot on target, although the nearest he came to a goal otherwise was plucking the ball from the net and running over to congratulate Joao Pedro for scoring the first of his two penalties on the night.
Fati scored 10 goals for his parent club in all competitions last season. Opening his Europa League account would mark his first European goal since he scored for Barcelona in the Champions League against Dynamo Kiev in November 2021.
Kaoru Mitoma: Back Japan star to score anytime
- Odds: 12/5 (BetOnSports)
Rarely will you see a substitute make an impact as immediately as Japan livewire Mitoma did for Brighton against Bournemouth.
Winning the ball seconds after his introduction at the restart, the hugely popular winger made a typical darting run towards the penalty area before producing a deft finish following a one-two.
MORE: Kaoru Mitoma can break the mould for Japanese football
He took his tally for the season to three with an expertly guided header 13 minutes from time, marking a memorable return to scoring form even if it wasn't quite as spectacular as his dazzling long run and strike at Wolves in Brighton's first away game of 2023/24.
In an attempt to keep Mitoma fresh, De Zerbi has wisely not entirely kept to the words he once professed about always playing the 26-year-old. He had a quiet game by his standards at Villa Park but Mitoma's double against the Cherries showed he remains a threat whether or not he is involved from the start.
