4-1 defeat at Besiktas: OM in danger but not yet eliminated from Europa League

Olympique de Marseille suffered a 4-1 defeat away at Besiktas on Thursday evening in Istanbul, opening their Europa League campaign with a heavy loss. As in their last three Ligue 1 matches, Bruno Genesio’s side played a solid first half before collapsing after the break.

This fresh setback comes at a delicate moment: OM host PSG on Sunday at Stade Vélodrome, with concerning form in the background. On the European front, however, the situation remains manageable. Seven matchdays remain, and Football meets data projections credit the Phocaeans with an 18th place finish — a position that qualifies for the February playoff round, reserved for teams ranked between 9th and 24th in the league phase.

According to the same projections, OM would suffer only one more defeat before the end of the league phase, against Bayer Leverkusen on matchday 4. The Marseille side are expected to pick up points against Olympiacos (MD2), Sturm Graz (MD3) and Levski Sofia (MD5), before two fixtures against Celta de Vigo and Celtic — one at the Vélodrome, the other in Glasgow — and a final trip to Anderlecht.

This last meeting in Belgium recalls a painful memory: in January, OM lost 3-0 at Bruges, dropping out of the top 24 in the Ligue des Champions and missing the knockout phase. A scenario the club will seek to avoid repeating in the Europa League.

If they qualify for the playoffs from 18th place, Marseille would face the 15th or 16th in the overall standings — Real Sociedad or Celta de Vigo according to current projections. The winner of that two-legged tie would then face an opponent from the top two in the standings, potentially Benfica or Bournemouth.