Benfica vs Marseille facts

Benfica host Marseille in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League quarter-final tie after dispatching Rangers in the last round.

Roger Schmidt's side – who are in the last eight of the Europa League for the sixth time, more than any other club – followed up a 2-2 draw against Rangers in their own stadium with a 1-0 win at Ibrox thanks to Rafa Silva's second-half effort that earned the Eagles a first win in Scotland since 1960.

Marseille are through to the Europa League quarter-finals for the first time since 2017/18, the year they were runners-up to Atlético de Madrid. They overcame Villarreal in this season's round of 16, winning 4-0 in their home first leg before surviving a spirited second-leg fightback from the Spanish side. Trailing 3-0 with four minutes to go, an added-time goal from Jonathan Clauss sealed progress.

Previous meetings

Benfica wins 2
Marseille wins 1
Draws 1
Benfica goals 5
Marseille goals 4

This will be the third tie in UEFA competition between Benfica and Marseille and a first since 2009/10, when the Portuguese side won 3-2 on aggregate in the Europa League round of 16 (1-1 h, 2-1 a).

They first met in the semi-finals of the 1989/90 European Cup, Benfica progressing on away goals following a 2-1 loss in France and a 1-0 home victory and going on to lose to AC Milan 1-0 in the final.

Form guide

Benfica

Record vs French clubs: W16 D10 L8 F42 A32
Home record vs French clubs: W12 D5 L0

Benfica are unbeaten in their 17 home matches against French visitors. They faced Toulouse in this season's knockout round play-offs, winning 2-1 at home and on aggregate, and Paris Saint-Germain in last season's Champions League group stage, drawing 1-1 home and away.

That draw against Paris in Lisbon is the only one of Benfica's last eight home games against Ligue 1 visitors they did not win.

This season Benfica failed to qualify from their Champions League group for the first time in three seasons and are appearing in the Europa League for the first time since 2020/21, when their progress was halted in the round of 32 by a 4-3 aggregate defeat against Arsenal.

Having lost at home to Salzburg in their opening Champions League fixture this season, Benfica were then beaten by Inter (0-1 a) and Real Sociedad twice (0-1 h, 1-3 a) before an eventful 3-3 draw against the Italian side ended their hopes of qualification. They did, however, finish their Group D campaign on a positive note, a 3-1 away win in Salzburg earning qualification for the Europa League ahead of their Austrian hosts.

The Eagles reached the Champions League quarter-finals for a second successive season in 2022/23. They had finished first in Group H ahead of Paris and Juventus before knocking out Club Brugge in the round of 16 (2-0 a, 5-1 h) and then losing to Inter (0-2 h, 3-3 a).

This season, they finished third in their Champions League group after managing only one win before knocking out Toulouse 2-1 on aggregate in their Europa League knockout round play-off (2-1 h, 0-0 a) and then defeating Rangers in the round of 16 (2-2 h, 1-0 a).

Benfica's first-leg victory against Toulouse is their only win in their last six home European games (D2 L3) having been victorious in five of the previous six (D1).

However, they are unbeaten at their own stadium in the Europa League, winning 21 matches and drawing six.

Benfica have not won a European quarter-final since reaching the Europa League final in 2013/14, when they beat AZ Alkmaar in the last eight (1-0 a, 2-0 h).

The Lisbon club were Portuguese champions for a record 38th time in 2022/23, Schmidt's side finishing two points ahead of Porto to claim Benfica's first title since 2019.

Marseille

Record vs Portuguese clubs: W6 D2 L10 F22 A24
Away record vs Portuguese clubs: W1 D1 L7

Marseille beat Sporting Clube de Portugal home and away in last season's Champions League group stage (4-1 h, 2-0 a) to end a run of three straight defeats against Portuguese teams in which they had failed to score.

That 2-0 away victory against Sporting was their first in Portugal on their ninth attempt (D1 L7).

Three times runners-up in the UEFA Cup/Europa League, Marseille have qualified from the competition's group stage for just the third time.

OM competed in the 2022/23 Champions League, finishing bottom of Group D behind Tottenham, Eintracht Frankfurt and Sporting, although at one point on Matchday 6 they were in second position and on course to reach the round of 16.

A third-place finish in Ligue 1 last season took Marseille into the 2023/24 Champions League third qualifying round, where they were beaten by Panathinaikos (0-1 a, 2-1 h aet, 3-5 pens).

Following consecutive draws in their first two Europa League group stage matches this season, 3-3 at Ajax and 2-2 at home to Brighton, OM won the next three – home (3-1) and away (2-0) against AEK Athens and 4-3 at home to Ajax – before a 1-0 defeat at Brighton confirmed them in second place in the group, setting up their knockout round play-off against Shakhtar, who they beat 5-3 on aggregate (2-2 a, 3-1 h), before knocking out Villarreal.

They have won each of their last two UEFA competition quarter-final ties, defeating Greek side PAOK in the UEFA Europa Conference League last eight in 2021/22 (2-1 h, 1-0 a), while also defeating Leipzig in their last appearance in the Europa League quarter-finals in 2017/18 (0-1 a, 5-2 h).

On 27 September, Marseille confirmed the appointment of Gennaro Gattuso as their new coach following the departure of Marcelino on the eve of the 3-3 Matchday 1 draw against Ajax. However, the French side parted company with coach Gattuso on 20 February, appointing Jean-Louis Gasset as his replacement the same day.

Marseille's 2-0 win at AEK on Matchday 2 is one of just two away victories in their last ten European games (D2 L6).

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's two goals in the 4-0 round of 16 first-leg victory against Villarreal extended his all-time Europa League total to 33, moving three ahead of previous record scorer Radamel Falcao. Aubameyang is also the outright top-scorer in this season's competition with nine goals in eight games.

Links and trivia

Benfica's Ángel Di María spent seven seasons in France with Paris Saint-Germain between 2015 and 2022. He scored five goals in 15 appearances against Marseille.

Have also played in France:
Juan Bernat (Paris Saint-Germain 2018–23)
Florentino Luís (Monaco 2020/21)

Marseille’s defender Chancel Mbemba played 135 times for Benfica's rivals Porto between 2018 and 2022, winning two league titles, two Portuguese Cups and one Portuguese Super Cup. He scored three goals in his ten games against Benfica.

Marseille's Joaquín Correa came off the bench to score Inter's third goal in a 3-3 home draw against Benfica in last season's Champions League quarter-final second leg.

Aubameyang has scored five goals in his four previous games against Benfica.

International team-mates:
Ángel Di María, Nicolás Otamendi & Joaquín Correa, Leonardo Balerdi (Argentina)
Pau López & Juan Bernat (Spain)