Europa League Final: Preview & Prediction

Back by popular demand, here is my final Europa League preview/prediction for the 2017/18 season!

It was the result which we all expected after seeing the Europa League semi-final draw, albeit with the ties being much tighter than anticipated. Marseille came into the second leg with a 2-0 lead over Salzburg, but almost bottled it before scoring the winner in extra time.

Atleti were reduced to 10 men in their first leg, but still managed a 1-1 draw. After the Arsenal killer himself put Atleti ahead just before halftime in the second leg, they saw the game out while the Gunners managed to fire off just one shot on goal.

But regardless of how it happened, the final is set, and Marseille is seeking their first ever Europa League title, while Atletico Madrid will try for their third title this decade.

I’ve been pretty high on Marseille this season, so seeing them make the Europa League final makes me feel like a proud father. They’ll even have an advantage heading into the final too, as Diego Simeone is suspended, and due to the fact that this will essentially be a home game for Marseille, with the final being in Lyon.

They’ve enjoyed a great Europa League campaign so far on the backs of their gaggle of talented attacking-midfielders, including Dimitri Payet, Florian Thauvin, Lucas Ocampos, and Morgan Sanson. They’ve even taken on a new business venture by earning ownership of the Red Bull company after beating both RB Leipzig and RB Salzburg – just kidding.

But in all seriousness, for all the positive things I can say about Marseille, they’re still no match for Atletico Madrid. An up-and-coming side, Marseille still struggles against top teams, as they’ve demonstrated by accumulating 0 wins, 2 draws, and 4 losses against PSG, Monaco, and Lyon in Ligue 1 this season.

To put it bluntly, Marseille will struggle to create chances against one of Europe’s best defenses, and they definitely won’t be able to stop Diego Costa and Antoine Griezmann from scoring.

Lifting the Europa League trophy would be the cherry on top of another quality season for Atletico Madrid. They were unfazed by their early elimination from the Champions League and look to finish 2nd in La Liga after being 3rd in the previous 3 years.

Atleti is just on a different level to Marseille, and along with the gap in talent, Atleti also come in with a wealth of experience over their French counterparts – This will be their 5th major European final since 2010, while Marseille hasn’t been in one since 2004.

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Atletico Madrid is going to stick with their tried and true “Simeoneball” method (that’s not a real thing, don’t quote me on that), and should end up with another trophy for their cabinet at the end of the day.

Prediction: Atleti 2-0 Marseille