Another 180 minutes, and you may see Olympique de Marseille, also the French media, flooding the followers with this sentence: “
Forever the first.
“A slogan that echoes Marseille's victory in the 1992-93 Champions League, the first (and only until today) for a French club.
In 2022, OM could become the first winner of the unprecedented Europa League Conference.
To discover
Calendar and results Europa League
A European Cup at a discount?
A little, even if Leicester and AS Roma, semi-finalists, have shown up in C1 in recent springs.
It doesn't matter: OM did not shun their 2012 League Cup, their last trophy to date.
The C4 “
does not have the prestige of the C1 or the C3 but it remains a European Cup and a trophy to win
”, supports Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda.
An Olympic form
At the dawn of a trip to Feyenoord Rotterdam this Thursday (9 p.m.), OM have an ideal dynamic for them, their best of the whole season.
The Phocaeans have won 9 of their last 10 matches, their only misstep being at the Parc des Princes, where they were not unworthy against PSG (2-1).
To qualify, some of these opponents (Reims, Montpellier, Saint-Etienne…) seemed affordable.
Feyenoord, 3rd in the Dutch championship and renowned for its warm, even hostile atmosphere at home, will be of a different caliber.
Same for Olympique Lyonnais, an injured beast, whose reception is intercalated between the first and second legs against Feyenoord.
SEE ALSO –
Neymar's goal, disputed penalty, equalizer refused: the summary of PSG-OM on April 17 (2-1)
Read alsoHot atmosphere, van Persie or “bathtub”: 5 things to know about Feyenoord Rotterdam
Behind, there will be an affordable trip to Lorient, then a much more perilous one to Rennes, 3rd six points behind OM.
This last turn can lead not only to a title, but also, barring an accident, to a return to the Champions League.
“
The last matches will be difficult but also exciting.
We will all have to stay mobilized
,” encouraged Olympian coach Jorge Sampaoli.
This OM has gone through hardships
The Argentinian can rely on a group that has weathered storms, between setbacks that stain the Vélodrome (Lens, Brest, Clermont…), an indigestible group stage in the Europa League and violence from the stands in Nice or In Lyon.
Steve Mandanda, 37 and hero at PAOK Salonika in the quarter-final return on April 14 (0-1), will keep the Marseille cages.
Dimitri Payet, if he sticks out his tongue, will have to dig deep inside himself to animate the game. Two experienced leaders in addition to William Saliba (21) in defense and the inexhaustible Mattéo Guendouzi (23) between.
Around, the rotation orchestrated by Sampaoli paid off.
Its options are many.
At OM, there is no doubt that there are keys for a show-stopping fireworks display.
