Olympique Marseille is making its highly anticipated return to the UEFA Champions League draw, marking its first appearance since the 2022 campaign. That previous run, under Igor Tudor, concluded with a disappointing group stage exit following a dramatic last-minute home defeat to Tottenham, sealed by Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg`s decisive goal. Intriguingly, Hojbjerg is now an OM player himself, though he won`t be reunited with his former Spurs teammates this season. Under the guidance of Roberto De Zerbi, `Les Phocéens` are set to welcome two formidable Premier League powerhouses, Liverpool FC and Newcastle United, to their vibrant home ground, the Vélodrome.
Due to their absence from European competitions last season, Marseille found themselves drawn from Pot 3. Having successfully secured their Champions League qualification by finishing second in Ligue 1, OM will embark on two trips to Belgium to compete against Union Saint-Gilloise and Club Brugge. Furthermore, the esteemed 1993 Champions League victors also face a prestigious away fixture at Real Madrid`s iconic Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, promising a truly memorable encounter.
Adding another layer of excitement to their challenging schedule, Marseille will also host Atalanta BC in a highly anticipated rematch of the 2024 Europa League semi-final. In that previous encounter, `La Dea` famously knocked out the Ligue 1 club before going on to convincingly defeat Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 in the final, a victory memorably secured by Ademola Lookman`s hat-trick.
