Marseille take on Ajax on Thursday 30th of November in the group stages of the Europa League. Marseille are currently top of Group B and need just one more win to secure their place in the knockout stages of the competition whereas Ajax need a win to keep their faint hopes of progress alive. The recent Marseille vs Ajax H2hs suggests we're in for a goal-fest when the game kicks off at 20:00 UK time.
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Marseille vs Ajax H2H record
The Marseille vs Ajax rivalry is one that stretches back to 1971 when they met the very first time in the European Cup. Back then, Marseille were the French champions while Ajax were the kings of the Netherlands and the two teams played out two legs of fantastic football with Ajax ultimately coming out on top. Since then, they have faced each other a further five times.
- Marseille Wins: 1
- Draws: 2
- Ajax Wins: 4
In the more recent matches between Marseille and Ajax, the French side have fared better than they did in their initial meeting with Ajax. Goals have been a common theme throughout with a total of 27 goals being scored across the seven matches.
Marseille v Ajax last five H2Hs
Marseille 0-3 Ajax – 6th April 1988
In 1988, Marseille and Ajax played against each other in the semi-finals of the Cup Winners Cup. Despite being at home, Marseille were blown away by the Dutch outfit with an 18-year-old Dennis Bergkamp getting himself on the scoresheet after a double from Rob Witschge. The two sides would then meet two weeks later in Amsterdam.
Ajax 1-2 Marseille – 20th April 1988
In the Cup Winners Cup semi-final return leg, Marseille had it all to do but fell behind in the first half when defender, Peter Larsson made it 4-0 on aggregate to Ajax. With the tie well and truly over, the rest of the game was a dull affair until Marseille scored two late goals to make the scoreline more respectable and to give them their first-ever victory against Ajax.
Marseille 2-1 Ajax – 12th March 2009
It was more than 20 years until Marseille and Ajax met again, this time in the UEFA Cup round of 16. Goals were the order of the day once again with Marseille running out as 2-1 winners in the first leg by two goals to one at the Stade Velodrome. Benoit Cheyrou and Mamadou Niang gave the home side a 2-0 lead before Luis Suarez gave Ajax a valuable away goal from the penalty spot.
Ajax 2-2 Marseille – 18th March 2009
In the second leg of the Europa League round of 16, Ajax welcomed Marseille to the Amsterdam Arena with the tie very much in the balance. After 90 minutes, Ajax were 2-1 ahead on the night which meant the scoreline was 3-3 on aggregate. Extra time commenced and it was Marseille who prevailed thanks to a 110th minute winner from Tyrone Mears. Marseille were then knocked out by Shakhtar Donetsk in the quarter-finals.
Ajax 3-3 Marseille – 21st September 2023
The most recent H2H between Ajax and Marseille came just two months ago on matchday one of this season's Europa League group stage. Following on with the theme of high-scoring games, the match ended 3-3 in a thrilling affair in Amsterdam. Ajax went 2-0 up before Marseille pegged them back to 2-2 before Kenneth Taylor gave the hosts a 3-2 lead. Then, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang made the score 3-3 late on.
Potential MVP – Ismaïla Sarr
Marseille haven't had the best of seasons in Ligue 1 this so far and have been using the Europa League as an escape from reality. One player who has been a shining light this season has been former Watford winger, Ismaila Sarr who is the club's top goalscorer in all competitions.
Sarr has found the back of the net four times this season and provided one assist with the 25-year-old scoring the winner in Marseille's last Europa League match against AEK Athens. Sarr will look to link up well with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to give Marseille the points they need for qualification.
Key trend
The Marseille vs Ajax last five H2Hs shows us that goals are to be expected in this fixture. In the last four meetings between the two teams, both teams have scored and we expect this trend to continue here considering they both need three points. We are going for a narrow victory for Marseille with over 2.5 goals beings scored. For more tips, check out our detailed Marseille vs Ajax prediction.
