The playoff round of the 2023–24 UEFA Europa League knockouts sees Shakhtar Donetsk take on Olympique Marseille in the first leg of an exciting matchup.
Shakhtar Donetsk hosts French side Olympique Marseille for a game that promises the unexpected with a Round of 16 place at stake. It will be the first-ever meeting between the Ukrainian champions and Marseille. Still, there is plenty of pedigree, with the 2009 UEFA Cup winners taking on the 1993 European Cup winners.
More recently, Shakhtar reached the 2019–20 Europa League semi-final and would be dreaming of another run into the late stages of this competition.
Dropping down from Europe’s premier club competition as one of the third-placed teams was undoubtedly disappointing but they must now pick themselves up.
Shakhtar began their league title defence with seven unbeaten games as they won five and drew two. However, their opening match of the UEFA Champions League group stage ended in a 3-1 defeat to Porto.
They failed to win over the next two league games but got their first UCL victory away at Royal Antwerp thanks to a stunning second-half comeback after going two goals down in the opening period. Nevertheless, Shakhtar fired manager Patrick van Leeuwen after just 12 games in charge of the club.
Marino Pušic was appointed in October just over 24 hours before a crucial trip to Barcelona which they lost. But the Croatian led them to two victories in the Premier Liga before Danylo Sikan’s goal gave them a precious win in the return leg against Barcelona.
The Miners made it three victories from four in the UCL with a 1-0 win in the return leg against Antwerp. That result put them in an excellent position to advance into the knockout stage, but a 5-3 defeat at Porto on the final day confirmed their demotion to the Europa League.
Shakhtar finds themselves three points behind the top spot in the league with two games in hand. The Europa League tie with Marseille comes before the resumption of the Ukrainian League but Shakhtar will have warmed up for the fixtures with games against Ludogorets and Lech Poznan.
The first leg comes at ‘home’ for the Ukrainian champions and they must squeeze every ounce of an advantage out of that opportunity. Having won two of three home games in Europe thus far, they will be confident of getting the job done.
Conversely, Marseille started their continental journey in the Champions League playoffs before ending up in the Europa League group stage, finishing runners-up to Brighton.
They will return from the winter break refreshed having ended with six matches unbeaten in Ligue 1.
Marcelino started the season as Marseille manager after replacing Igor Tudor. Still, the Spaniard lasted only 81 days in charge following an unconvincing start to the season which saw them amass nine points from their first five league games.
A 4-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain laid bare the task ahead as Gennaro Gattuso was appointed to ignite their hopes for the campaign. L’OM lost the Italian’s debut match 3-2 to Monaco but they won two and drew two of the next six games in Ligue 1.
Marseille have not lost in the league since November and produced three wins with two draws in their Europa League campaign. Indeed, the Matchday 6 defeat at Brighton was just their first of the season.
Domestically, they sit a point outside the European qualification places in sixth and must kick on in the campaign's second half. A victory over Shakhtar to advance to the Round of 16 is now within their sights and Marseille would hope their match rhythm can see them through ahead of the Ukrainians who would have been without competition for two months.
Match tickets
This match will take place on Thursday, February 15 2024 with kick-off scheduled for 5:45 PM UK time. Match tickets are available for sale on each club’s website and via UEFA channels.
Due to the ongoing conflict in their country, this home fixture for Shakhtar will be played at the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg, Germany. Yet, you can expect their fans to be present in large numbers, making it a memorable occasion for the team.
The venue can contain up to 57,000 people so the Marseille faithful would also be keen to take advantage of the neutral location. Supporters who want to cop Shakhtar Donetsk vs Marseille away tickets may find official sources sold out but they can check out ticket resale sites.
Team news
Ivan Petryak is the Ukrainians’ only injury absentee and they will hope to keep all their key players fit over the winter break. The only issue the inactivity could cause is that the Shakhtar players are not at optimum match fitness during the first leg.
Marseille captain Valentin Rongier and Joaquin Correa are current injury casualties but both men should be fit enough for this game, barring any setbacks.
Elsewhere, the likes of Pape Gueye, Ismaila Sarr, Amine Harit, Iliman Ndiaye, Simon Ngapandouetnbu and Azzedine Ounahi are all away with their national teams. Still, some should be available for the trip to Germany.
Line-ups
There will be a familiar feel to Shakhtar’s line-up with minimal alterations expected of the side that played their last European game against Porto.
Shakhtar: Riznky; Gocholeishvili, Bondar, Matvyenko, Azarovi; Stepanenko, Sudakov, Kryskiv; Zubkov, Newerton, Sikan
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is a man in form having recorded eight goals and four assists since the end of November. The striker is the second top-scorer in the Europa League with five strikes during the group stage, and he will shoulder their hopes of advancing to the Last 16.
Marseille: López; Meïté, Mbemba, Balerdi; Clauss, Veretout, Ounahi, Lodi; Oliveira, Aubameyang, Harit
Prediction
Both sides have enjoyed fairly decent European campaigns, but defeat on the final matchday means they have to take on this extra playoff tie.
This fixture must be navigated cautiously, and a positive result in the first leg is essential to advance. Marseille will be confident of their ability to progress in front of their home fans in the second leg, so they must maintain a respectable scoreline in the away trip.
Shakhtar 1-1 Marseille
