Galatasaray vs Marseille Odds & Prediction – Europa League Group Stage Matchday 5

• Galatasaray and Marseille clash on Europa League Matchday 5
• The Turkish giants currently lead Group E, while the French side are in third
• Find the odds, preview, and best bet for Thursday’s fixture below

Group E leaders Galatasaray will be looking to continue their winning ways in the Europa League on Thursday, November 25th when Ligue 1 outfit Marseille takes a trip to Istanbul. The Galatasary vs Marseille kick-off is scheduled for 12:45 PM EST.

The Turkish standouts are currently at the top of the group with eight points from four games, most recently playing to a 1-1 draw with Lokomotiv Moscow on Matchday 4. Marseille meanwhile has drawn all four of their games in the competition thus far and settled for a 2-2 stalemate with Lazio earlier this month.

The first meeting between the two sides ended 0-0 in France.

Galatasaray vs Marseille Odds

All odds as of November 23rd at DraftKings

Galatasaray Looking to Book Ticket To Knockouts

The Turkish side has looked relatively decent in the Europa League and has a chance to solidify their spot in the round of 32 with a victory on home soil. However, Galatasaray is struggling immensely in league play, currently sitting in the eighth spot and a whole 12 points off the top of the table. Over the weekend, Fatih Terim’s men suffered a disappointing 2-1 defeat to rivals, Fenerbahce.

Muhammed Kerem Aktürkoğlu got his side on the scoresheet early in the first half, but former Arsenal standout Mesut Ozil equalized for the visitors not long after. Galatasaray looked well on their way to a lone point after Fenerbahce’s Marcel Tisserand was handed a red card in the 82nd minute, but the hosts had their hearts broken in injury time as Miguel Crespo netted a winner at the death.

With their title hopes domestically looking very dismal right now, Galatasaray will be shifting their focus to Europe. They’ve posted a 2-2-0 record through four matchdays but have been rather toothless in front of goal, scoring only three times. Terim’s backline is rock solid, however, conceding a mere one goal, which came in their last encounter with Lokomotiv.

Today's training session ✅#GSvOM #UEL pic.twitter.com/Ki3eXcKAaF

— WWWWWWWWWWWWWWW (@Galatasaray) November 23, 2021

Galatasaray will be extremely motivated to find a result against Marseille after essentially letting points slip right out of their hands on the weekend. Even if they manage to draw here, the Turkish squad could still qualify for the round of 32 by the end of Thursday depending on the outcomes elsewhere in Group E.

Three Points a Must for Marseille

It’s do or die for Marseille on Matchday 5, having collected just four points from four matches thus far. A victory is an absolute must, but if results don’t go their way between Lazio and Lokomotiv,  Les Olympiens could still find themselves on the outside looking in.

Although Jorge Sampaoli’s side is riding a seven-game unbeaten run across all competitions, they’ve won just twice in that span. In a highly-anticipated rivalry on Sunday, Marseille locked horns with Lyon but fan disruption once again took center stage in France, with talisman Dimitri Payet getting hit with a water bottle from the Lyon supporters which resulted in the clash being suspended within four minutes.

The Olympians took part in a thrilling 2-2 draw with Lazio in their last Europa League game on November 4th at the Stade Velodrome that was truly a back and forth ride. Arkadiusz Milik converted from the spot in the 33rd minute but Felipe Anderson responded with an equalizer just before the halftime whistle for the Italians.

Euro 2020 winner Ciro Immobile then capitalized off a huge defensive mistake by the hosts and clinically put away another for the visitors early in the second period. By no surprise though, Dimitri Payet saved the day in the 82nd minute to salvage a point for Marseille and keep their round of 32 hopes alive. Unfortunately, Payet is serving a suspension on Thursday and won’t be available, which is certainly a blow to Sampaoli’s attack.

Galatasaray vs Marseille Key Europa League Stats

Galatasaray vs Marseille Prediction

The hosts will have a serious fire in their belly after narrowly losing to Fenerbahce, which I believe is going to play a huge part in them finding a positive result on Thursday. Marseille on the other hand is missing their best player in the final third in Payet and has frankly struggled to score lately, while Galatasaray is extremely stable defensively in Europa.

Pick: Galatasaray +185