Marseille are afraid of Benfica. Will the Portuguese knock out the traditional French club?

Lille players turned the weekend’s Ligue 1 match into an exhibition. Two quick goals in the second half, followed shortly after by a third, Marseille simply took the hit. Now they must prepare for Benfica Lisbon.

Marseille could close to within four points of their opponents with a win against Lille. However, the result was quite the opposite, with the visitors still tied in the first half, but after the change of sides, Lille kicked an early penalty.

The World Cup hero is not amused

Marseille are only seventh in Ligue 1. Although they have advanced to the Europa League quarter-finals, the fans are unhappy. One of the reasons is the pre-season sacking of captain Dimitri Payet a year before his contract officially ends.

“When you see the quality of Ounahi, it’s unbelievable that they fired Payet,” wrote Marseille fan Jeremy in a liked comment under an Instagram post.

Club president Pablo Longoria commented on the departure of the first player in league history to score and assist 100 goals, saying the club wanted to go a different way. The midfield has been rejuvenated, with young Azzedine Ounahi getting more chances.

The Moroccan midfielder shone at the World Cup in Qatar, but Marseille clearly don’t fancy him yet. He has played 28 games in the current campaign, scoring only twice and has no assists.

Benfica as a tough opponent

Marseille remain in contention in the Europa League, but they came through Spain’s Villarreal with great luck after a 1-3 away loss. Now it’s the turn of Portuguese champion Benfica Lisbon. “The humiliation at Benfica is coming,” wrote supporter Sacha.

Benfica lost to Sporting last round. All the more reason to look forward to their Europa League fixture. The question is, who is more comfortable with this way of doing things. Probably Benfica, which is really used to operating like this season after season.

Source: Twitter, YouTube, Olympique Marseille