in difficulty far from the Vélodrome, OM must overcome their travel sickness in Bergamo to reach the final

After the draw conceded in the first leg at the Vélodrome (1-1), OM must win on the pitch of Atalanta Bergamo on Thursday to compete in the Europa League final. Problem, OM does not know how to travel this season.

Six years later, Olympique de Marseille dreams of a new European final, which would be the sixth in its history, and the fourth in the Europa League after those of 1999, 2004 and 2018. But to validate their ticket to Dublin on May 22 next, the Marseillais must imperatively win on the lawn of Atalanta Bergamo, Thursday May 9, in the semi-finals return of the Europa League, a week after their frustrating draw conceded at home (1-1), despite their total domination .

In Lombardy, however, the Phocaeans are facing a mountain, at the foot of the old town of Bergamo. To reach the final, OM must win at Gewiss Stadium (or ensure a draw until the penalty shootout). Quite clear on paper, this mission promises to be perilous for a team which no longer knows how to travel, with 4 successes in 28 away matches this season, including only one in the European Cup, on the lawn of a weak AEK Athens, early November.

The evil of the Good Mother

On the European scene, OM also suffered two away defeats, in the quarter-final first leg against Benfica Lisbon (1-2), as well as in the round of 16 return to Villarreal (1-3). . That evening, the Marseillais were close to an incredible elimination, despite the large lead taken in the first leg (4-0), which underlines the Marseille difficulties far from the Old Port.

Outside of the Europa League, OM have only won three times away from their bases, but against opponents with a completely different pedigree than Atalanta Bergamo. In detail, Marseille won the Coupe de France in Metz against amateurs from Thionville, residents of the fifth division. In Ligue 1, it was on the lawns of Lorient and Clermont, the last two in the championship, that OM managed to win.

A very meager record which makes Marseille the worst away team in Ligue 1 with Clermont. “If only home games counted, we would be second in Ligue 1.”indicated Pablo Longoria last week at the Gazzetta Dello Sport. Because, fortunately for them, the Phocéens are irresistible this season at the Vélodrome, where only PSG has won. But this momentum at home did not allow OM to win in the semi-finals, even though the Italians admitted to having been shaken by the atmosphere in the stadium.

Two stadiums, two atmospheres

“To have drawn here is strong. For us, it’s incredible not to lose here. This stadium is incredible, in the atmosphere and the architecture. It’s very noisy. It gave a lot of energy to OM. We suffered a lot.”confided Gian Piero Gasperini after the meeting. “These are they who give us that extra soul, confidence. They are practically the ones who equalize”, echoed Jean-Louis Gasset, aware that if his troops shine less away, it is also because they are not transcended as they are at home.

Concretely, OM’s technical shortcomings, which have often cost them dearly away from home, are often erased by the intensity and generosity of the Olympians in front of their audience. But in Bergamo, in a stadium under construction with a capacity reduced to 15,000 seats, barely 700 Marseille supporters were authorized to make the trip. Jean-Louis Gasset and his troops will therefore have to rely on themselves.

“Yes, we transcend ourselves at the Vélodrome, that’s obvious”recognized the Marseille coach on the eve of the match, before reassuring: “But the players are aware that this is the match to win. This is the one, there will be no others. The team that draws away is the favorite, but we’re going to do everything give !”

The good news for the Marseille coach is that he will be able to count on a complete squad, apart from the prolonged absence of Valentin Rongier. The experienced OM coach, who called his players “to make history” before the quarter-final return against Benfica, will once again be able to summon the great moments of Marseille. Because OM have never been eliminated in the C3 semi-finals, out of the previous three.

Better yet: Marseille has already validated its ticket for the final on an Italian pitch, after a draw in the first leg, in 1999 in Bologna (0-0, 1-1). So many positive signals, more or less palpable, even if Marseille supporters cling to another statistic to believe it: that of the swimsuit curse. Indeed, this season, Marseille have never won with their away jersey or with the third. However, this Thursday, the Phocéens will wear their home jersey.