OM absent from top 10 favorites ahead of Europa League debut

Olympique de Marseille begins its Europa League campaign in the position of a quiet outsider: statistical models do not place it in the top 10 contenders for the title, and Football meets data projections credit it with an 11th place finish, meaning a playoff against Crystal Palace and a potential round of 16 tie against Juventus or Sunderland.

The Marseille group promises to be demanding. Bruno Genesio’s side will notably face Leverkusen, Celtic, Olympiakos, Anderlecht, Celta de Vigo, Sturm Graz, Levski Sofia and Besiktas — the opponent in the first match, Thursday evening in Turkey. This trip comes three days before the Classique against PSG at the Vélodrome, which suggests that Genesio could rotate his squad from the outset.

The favorites designated by Football Rankings are Bournemouth and Benfica, each credited with 14% chances of lifting the trophy on May 26 in Frankfurt. Bayer Leverkusen follows at 13%, ahead of Juventus, Crystal Palace and Sunderland (8% each). AC Milan with Adrien Rabiot stands at 4%, just ahead of Lyon and Stade Rennais, both at 3%.

On Wednesday, the two other French clubs in the competition open their campaign: Lyon, relegated from the Champions League playoffs, travels to Anderlecht for a tough opener, while Stade Rennais face Sturm Graz in Austria. These two matches therefore precede Marseille’s baptism of fire at Besiktas by one day.

The previous week in the Champions League, PSG and RC Lens respectively dominated Slovan Bratislava (6-1) and Slavia Prague (2-3), while LOSC suffered a frustrating defeat against Real Betis (2-3). The Europa League therefore opens in a context where French clubs display contrasting fortunes on the European stage.