We’ve reached the penultimate stage of the 2023/24 Europa League campaign with four teams poised to slug it out for a chance to be the crowned champions of Europe’s secondary tournament.
Atalanta, Bayer Leverkusen, Olympique Marseille and AS Roma are the four remaining sides in the tournament, aiming to secure a place in the grand finale.
With record winners Sevilla out of the way, the Aviva Stadium in Dublin will see a new team at the podium on May 22.
The Europa League semi-finals are poised to attract a mammoth number of viewership from streaming platforms across the globe.
But fans eager to witness all the action live can buy Europa League tickets from Seatsnet.com at competitive prices.
Following a stunning quarter-final triumph against Liverpool, Atalanta will look to continue their European dream when they take on Marseille in the semi final.
After thrashing the Premier League giants 3-0 at Anfield, La Dea fell to a 1-0 defeat at the Gewiss Stadium, but it mattered little as they defied the odds to clinch a place in the last four.
Meanwhile, Marseille claimed a 1-0 win over Portuguese giants SL Benfica on home turf to send the pulsating contest into extra time after falling to a 2-1 defeat in the first leg in Portugal.
The Ligue 1 giants needed penalties to oust their Portuguese counterparts.
However, it was enough to claim a place in the semi-final, where they will battle Atalanta for only their third appearance in the showpiece event this century.
Serie A clubs have failed to lift the title in the Europa League era, but Roma could change that if they become the first team to get the better of Leverkusen this season.
Xabi Alonso’s side have demonstrated a never-say-die attitude throughout the campaign to preserve their precious unbeaten run, which has firmly established them as favourites to win the Europa League.
After dispatching West Ham United 2-0 at BayArena in the first leg, Jeremie Frimpong’s deflected last-gasp strike helped Leverkusen salvage a 1-1 draw against the Hammers in East London.
Die Werkself are hunting a historic treble this season. With the Bundesliga already in the bag, they’ll switch their focus to the continental stage with Roma standing in their path to the Europa League final.
However, the rejuvenated Italian outfit will prove to be a stern test after edging Serie A rivals AC Milan 3-1 on aggregate to reach the last four.
Roma are looking to add the Europa League title to their cabinet after clinching the Europa Conference League in 2021/22.
They will welcome the prospect of ending their six-year exile from the Champions League as an added benefit of lifting the Europa League title in Dublin.
Here’s our 2023/24 Europa League semi-final preview ahead of this week’s first-leg action.
Marseille vs Atalanta
Marseille and Atalanta will lock horns in their first-ever competitive meeting in a European tournament, with both sides seeking a crucial win in Thursday’s Europa League semi-final first-leg showdown.
The Stade Velodrome forms the backdrop for the eagerly anticipated contest as both sides vie for a place in the final, where they will face either Roma or Leverkusen.
Marseille were eliminated by Feyenoord at this stage of the 2021/22 Conference League and will be looking to better their exploits by reaching the showpiece event this time around.
The French giants are languishing outside the European places in their domestic rankings, but a Europa League triumph would secure a spot in next season’s Champions League.
However, they must get past a dogged Atalanta side, although they’ll fancy their chances of a first-leg victory after winning their last five European games on home turf.
Nevertheless, Atalanta would represent a stern challenge for Jean-Louis Gasset’s troops as the Italians are unbeaten in their last nine continental travels ahead of their trip to the Stade Velodrome.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s side sent shockwaves across Europe with their stunning 3-0 victory over Liverpool at Anfield in the quarter-finals, so the Stade Velodrome atmosphere is unlikely to faze them.
This is only the second time Atalanta have reached the semi-final of a UEFA tournament.
While they’ll harbour dreams of etching their name in history as the first Serie A club to win the Europa League, they must first navigate two difficult games against Marseille.
Roma vs Leverkusen
The Europa League semi-finals see a familiar face returning to the Stadio Olimpico as Roma prepares to host Leverkusen for the first leg on Thursday.
This fixture carries the weight of unfinished business for both sides, with Leverkusen seeking retribution for their heartbreaking defeat in last season’s semi-finals.
Roma booked their place in the semi-finals with a convincing 3-1 aggregate win over Serie A rivals AC Milan.
An all-Italian quarter-final contest saw the Giallorossi emerge 1-0 victors at the San Siro before finishing the job on home turf a week later, courtesy of goals from Gianluca Mancini and Paulo Dybala.
Since the Europa League replaced the UEFA Cup in 2009, Italian clubs have failed to emerge triumphant from the tournament. But the jinx could be broken this season with two Serie A teams in the penultimate stage.
Roma could land another all-Italian contest against Atalanta in the competition’s showpiece, but both sides must navigate difficult opponents to earn a place in the final.
Jose Mourinho’s men eked out a 1-0 aggregate win over Leverkusen in last year’s semi-finals before losing to competition specialists Sevilla in the final.
The gut-wrenching defeat ended Roma’s hopes of clinching back-to-back European titles after lifting the inaugural Conference League trophy only 12 months prior.
However, club legend and current manager Daniele De Rossi will be hoping to succeed where Mourinho failed. But an unbeaten Leverkusen side could prove an insurmountable hurdle as the Germans chase a historic treble.
Die Werkself have already secured a place in the DFB-Pokal final and will head into the contest against second-tier side Kaiserslautern as overwhelming favourites.
Leverkusen saw off a stern challenge from West Ham in the quarter-final.
Having secured a comprehensive 2-0 victory in the first leg, they were forced to withstand a relentless barrage in the reverse fixture as West Ham plotted a miraculous comeback, but a late Frimpong strike sealed Leverkusen’s place in the semis.
The Bundesliga winners also struck a last-gasp equaliser for the third consecutive game to force a share of the spoils against Stuttgart last weekend, extending their remarkable unbeaten streak to 46 games in all competitions.
Both De Rossi and Alonso have already bolstered their reputation as tactical gems at their respective clubs, and a fascinating duel between the two up-and-coming coaches will unfold over the next week.
However, the initial advantage favours Roma, with the first act taking place in Italy’s Eternal City.
