Our prediction for this Europa Conference League match:
PAOK play host to Olympique Marseille at their Toumba Stadium in what is expected to be an interesting Conference League game. The Black and White Eagles aim to overcome a one-goal deficit in Thursday’s clash, and they are likely to adopt an attack-minded approach this time out. Morocco international Omar El Kaddouri, who scored a substitute in the first leg, is pushing for a start, while there are no fresh injury worries in the home team.
OM, on the other hand, aim to build on a 2-0 win over Montpellier. Dmitri Payet is widely expected to return to the starting XI, while Gerson misses the return leg through suspension. Luan Peres is back after serving his ban in the first leg. Since beating PAOK in Thessaloniki is easier said than done, we believe that punters from all around the globe can find value in betting on draw.
Highlighted Player (Omar El Kaddouri):
Omar El Kaddouri is a Moroccan footballer born in Brussels, Belgium on August 21, 1990. El Kaddouri was an Anderlecht player at the start of his senior career, but he did not see any game action for the Belgian side in the Jupiler League.
The 187-cm tall midfielder played for Brescia, Suditrol, Napoli, Torino and Empoli before signing a four-year deal with PAOK on August 24, 2017. The Morocco international won the Greek Cup with the black and whites, with the team beating AEK Athens in the title game. Omar El Kaddouri scored his first goal for the Greek side in a 3-1 victory over Panionios in April, 2018.
On the other hand, the PAOK midfielder made his Morocco debut in August, 2014 in a friendly against Burkina Faso. He opened his goal-scoring account with the Morocco national team on May 23, 2014 in a 4-0 victory over Mozambique. His main position is attacking midfielder, but he is capable of playing as a winger as well.
Highlighted Team (Marseille):
Olympique de Marseille are considered one of the best French football clubs. Les Olympiens won their ninth Ligue 1 title in 2010, but winning of the 1992/1993 Champions League trophy is seen as the club’s biggest success. Marseille defeated Italian giants Milan in the title game, with Basile Boli scoring the winner (1-0) in the Olympiastadion showdown.
It has to be noted, though, that the Stade Velodrome outfit were banned from defending the title in the 1993/1994 season after being involved in a match-fixing scandal. To make things even worse for the fans, the club suffered enforced relegation to the Ligue 2. Olympique de Marseille participated in the Europa League final on two occasions (1998/1999, 2003/2004), but they were beaten by Parma and Valencia respectively in the title games. OM’s home ground Stade Velodrome was opened on June 13, 1997 and the capacity of the stadium is 67.394.
The likes of Franck Ribery, Didier Deschamps, Didier Drogba, Laurent Blanc, Fabien Barthez, Samir Nasri, Fabrizio Ravanelli and Djibril Cisse all played for Marseille in the past.