It’s an understatement to say that Gennaro Gattuso’s side are going through a down period. They have not won a Ligue 1 match since December 17. Between dubious strategic choices and personnel homogeneity, everyone has their own explanation for the current situation. Since the start of the season, the Europa League has been a breath of fresh air for the Olympians. But this time the opponent should be tough.
One would think that Shakhtar Donetsk has been greatly weakened by the war against Russia. But that would be to leave out the performance achieved by the Ukrainians in the Champions League. The team coached by Marino Pusic especially beat Barca (1-0), proving that it is capable of playing at a high level.
History of matches between Shakhtar and OM
Shakhtar Donetsk and OM have met only once in the European Cup. It was in the quarter finals of the UEFA Cup during the 2008–2009 season. The Ukrainians emerged victorious with two wins: 2-0 at home and 2-1 at the Velodrome. It was the Eric Garretts era and Hatem Ben Arfa scored Marseille’s only goal.
𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀 #ShakhtarOm 👀
Working towards a trip to Hamburg in our 𝑶𝒍𝒚𝒎𝒑𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒔 @EuropaLeague ! 🚧 pic.twitter.com/QFrHHnuNre
— Olympique de Marseille (@OM_Officiel) February 13, 2024
Shakhtar-OM: Possible lineups
Deeply weakened since the start of 2024, OM is slowly recovering its players. Chancelle Mbemba returns from CAN this Wednesday, and should be fit to stay in the group. In midfield, Jordan Verretout has not recovered, but Gennaro Gattuso must rely on Geoffrey Kondogbia. Valentin Rongier and Bilal Nadir are out. Michael Murillo is uncertain, while Jean Onana, Pepe Gueye and Ulysses Garcia are not registered to take part in C3. On the Ukrainian side, Marlon Gomes is injured.
Possible composition of OM: Lopez – Clos, Gigot, Balerdi, Merlin – Kondogbia, Onahi, Harit – Sir, Moumbagna, Aubameyang.
Possible Structure of Shakhtar: Risnik – Gocholishvili, Bondar, Matvienko, Azarov – Stepanenko, Kryskiv, Sudakov – Zubkov, Sikan, Kevin.
Shakhtar-om: At what time?
The match between Shakhtar and Om will be played on Thursday. Kick-off will be at 6:45 pm.
Shakhtar-OM: On which channel?
The meeting between Shakhtar and OM will not be broadcast unencrypted. It will be telecast on RMC Sport 1.
