Bayer Leverkusen VS Marseille

The two sides head into this Europa League fixture carrying wildly contrasting form across continental and domestic campaigns. Bayer Leverkusen have posted a perfect three-win record in their first three Europa League outings, scoring 8 goals without conceding a single one to sit near the top of the league phase table. Marseille, by contrast, have lost all three of their European matches so far, netting only once while shipping 6 goals to prop up the standings with zero points. Their domestic form tells a completely different story, though. Leverkusen are currently on a two-game losing skid in the Bundesliga, conceding 7 goals across those two matches, with their 2-4 home defeat to Stuttgart laying bare obvious flaws in their defensive line. Marseille, on the other hand, are riding a four-game winning streak in Ligue 1, and their latest 2-0 shutout of Toulouse has given the whole squad a clear morale boost. The two sides have never met in any official competitive fixture before, with their only past encounters coming in friendlies, making this a true unknown clash for both camps.