It's the fear match.
Stuck in an endless crisis, in the middle of a change of coach with the dismissal of Gennaro Gattuso, replaced by Jean-Louis Gasset, Olympique de Marseille hosts Shakhtar Donetsk to breathe new life into its season.
At the Vélodrome stadium, this Thursday at 9 p.m., the Marseillais will play this Europa League play-off return match in a special context.
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Currently 9th in Ligue 1, eight points behind the European places, the Olympians remain on a series of seven games without a win in all competitions, including a final defeat in numerical superiority against Brest (1-0 away).
A success against the Ukrainians is therefore imperative to continue to shine on the European scene and thus try to relaunch, for the umpteenth time, their season.
To do this, they will be able to count on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, very successful in the Europa League with six goals in as many matches, even if other players appear to be in doubt.
In the first leg, Marseille conceded a draw after leading twice in Hamburg, in a meeting relocated due to the war in Ukraine (2-2).
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For their part, Shakhtar Donetsk (Shakhtior being the Russian spelling) are fourth in their domestic championship, and remain a competitive team on the continental scene, with two round of 16 appearances in the last three years in this competition.
Organized around veteran Taras Stepanenko, they will be a significant obstacle, especially in the current climate for Marseille.
The Phocaeans have been warned.
The Marseille-Shakhtar Donetsk match will kick off on Thursday February 22 at 9 p.m. on W9 and Canal + Foot.