Our prediction for this Europa Conference League match:
Feyenoord will look to defend their slim lead in the Conference League tie with Olympique Marseille when the two teams face each other at Stade Velodrome on Thursday. The Eredivisie outfit proved their worth in the first leg, but they can’t afford any complacency in the decider. Both Bijlow and Toornstra have been struggling with injuries of late, while Linssen is widely expected to return to the starting XI.
OM, on the other hand, face a must-win situation in the second leg. Marseille have turned their Stade Velodrome into a real fortress, but given Feyenoord’s attacking potential, we believe that there is a big value in betting on both teams to score. Both Balerdi and de la Fuente should miss out with injuries for the visiting team. In their last meeting at the venue, the two teams played out a goalless draw, back in 2000.
Highlighted Player (Valentin Rongier):
Valentin Rongier is a French footballer, who plays for Ligue 1 side Nantes as a defensive midfielder. Rongier, who was born on December 7, 1994 in Macon (France) scored two goals in 39 appearances for Nantes B from 2013 to 2015 and he made his Ligue 1 debut with Les Canaris on October 18, 2014 in a 1-1 draw with Stade de Reims.
It has to be noted that he replaced Lucas Deaux 15 minutes before the final whistle. Over the years Valentin Rongier has established himself as a first-team regular at Nantes and you should know that he made no less than 31 appearances for the club in the 2016/2017 Ligue 1 campaign.
On June 25, 2015 he extended his deal with the La Beaujoir-Louis Fonteneau outfit and his contract should expire on June 30, 2020. Valentin Rongier’s main position is defensive midfielder, but he is used as a central midfielder as well. His preferred foot is right.
Highlighted Team (Feyenoord):
Back in 1908 football club Wilhemina was founded in the pub De Vereeniging and they played their home games in blue-sleeved red shirts and white shorts. The club’s name was changed to Hillesluise in 1909 and soon they became RVV Celeritas.
Finally, in 1912 the club got a name SC Feijenoord. Feyenoord won their first Eredivisie trophy in 1924 and 75 years later they clinched their 14th domestic trophy, finishing the season 15 points clear of second-placed Willem II. De Trots van Zuid play their home games at De Kuip and the capacity of the venue is 51 117.
The club’s fiercest rivals are Ajax and the two teams face each other in der Klassieker. The likes of Craig Bellamy, Gerrard Fox, Wouter Bos and Raemon Sluiter are notable supporters of the club. It is well known that football legends Johan Cruyff, Ruud Gullit and Peter Houtman all played for Feyenoord in the past. De Trots van Zuid play their home games in red-white shirts and black shorts.