Benfica v Marseille: Hosts to triumph but Aubameyang the smart goalscorer pick

• French visitors in dreadful form

• Benfica simply too strong at home

• Record-breaker 'Auba' to find the net

Benfica vs Lille
Thursday 11 April, 20:00
Live on TNT Sports 5

Marseille arrive on losing streak

It's imposible to make a strong case for Marseille as they travel to face Benfica in Lisbon on Thursday night.

The French giants enjoyed an initial dramatic improvement following the appointment of Jean-Louis Gasset as their new manager in February but recent poor performances mean they go into this game in dismal shape.

Marseille won their first five games in all competitions under Gasset but those impressive early showings are a fast-fading memory.

Since those five straight victories, Marseille have played four and lost four, and can have few complaints about the downturn in results given how they've played.

The rot set in when they lost 3-1 at Villarreal in their Last 16 second Leg in this competition. Marseille were comprehensively outplayed on the night, and have barely done any better since.

They followed up with consecutive 2-0 losses vs Rennes (away) and PSG (home) in Ligue 1, before an even poorer league performance when they were beaten 3-1 at Lille last Friday night.

With 10 goals conceded and not a single decent display across those four most recent outings, confidence in the visiting camp is very low.

Hosts the smart pick

Benfica are 1.875/6 to win and at that price the Portuguese hosts are a tempting pick. They lost 2-1 away to city rivals Sporting in the league last weekend but there was no shame in that defeat to the only team in Portugal that is stronger than them.

Prior to the loss against Sporting, Benfica's six-game form in all competitions was W4-D2-L0. Significantly, they've done especially well at home in recent times: their eight-game record at Estadio da Luz in all competitions is W6-D2-L0.

If you are looking for a selection in the Match Odds market, then Benfica would be it. There are a couple of other markets worth considering, however.

Back both teams to hit the net

Marseille will pose a scoring threat thanks to the presence of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in their ranks. The Gabon international has been outstanding in this competition this season.

He's currently the tournament's nine-goal top scorer this season, having found the net at a rate of a goal every 71 minutes. It's gone largely unnoticed that, thanks to his terrific 2023-24 form, he's now the Europa League's all-time top scorer (33 goals), having moved ahead of Radamel Falcao in the overall standings.

Knowing that he's their stand-out danger man, Marseille will try to get the ball to their 34-year-old talisman as often as they can. And at 2.89/5 to find the net in the Anytime Goalscorer market, the ex-Arsenal marksman is a tempting selection.

Similarly, backing 'Yes' in the Both teams to Score? market might well pay off. Marseille's recent dismal defensive record but propensity to score in Europe - they've found the net in each of their four fixtures during the knockout phase so far - makes the 1.748/11 odds well worth considering.

Now read our other Europa League previews here!