Besiktas vs Marseille: No Nnadi battle for Ndidi – Preview, team news, prediction, h2h

Wilfred Ndidi could make his European debut for Besiktas when the Turkish giants welcome Marseille to the Tupras Stadyumu on Thursday for the opening matchday of the 2026-27 Europa League league phase, Afrik-Foot reports.

The Super Eagles midfielder, who joined Besiktas following his departure from Leicester City, has featured in five of the club’s opening Super Lig fixtures this season as Vincenzo Italiano’s side have climbed to second in the table with 12 points from five matches.

On the opposing side, fellow Super Eagles midfielder Tochukwu Nnadi will miss the trip to Istanbul through a knee injury sustained against Monaco in late August, leaving Marseille further depleted in a midfield already weakened by Geoffrey Kondogbia’s absence until October.

Besiktas enter the fixture on the back of a dominant qualifying campaign in which they won five of six matches and conceded just one goal across three rounds, while Marseille arrive in the midst of a three-match losing run that has left Bruno Genesio’s side with just three points from four Ligue 1 fixtures.

Match Radar
Competition	Europa League 2026-27, League Phase MD1
Venue	Tupras Stadyumu, Istanbul (43,500)
Besiktas Form (All Comps)	W3 L2 (last five)
Marseille Form (Ligue 1)	W1 L3 (four matches)
Naija Watch	Wilfred Ndidi (Besiktas) available; Tochukwu Nnadi (Marseille) out injured
Key Stat	Besiktas conceded just one goal in six Europa League qualifying matches

Besiktas vs Marseille: form and context heading into the Europa League

Besiktas have made an impressive start to the 2026-27 season under Italiano, collecting 12 points from their opening five Super Lig fixtures to sit second in the table behind Galatasaray on 13.

That domestic form has been built on a formidable home record, with three consecutive wins at the Tupras Stadyumu producing 12 goals scored and just two conceded, including a 6-2 demolition of Corum FK and a 3-0 victory over Erzurumspor FK.

Their European qualifying campaign was equally commanding, with Besiktas eliminating Midtjylland (1-0 at home, 2-0 away), Hradec Kralove (1-0 in both legs) and Kauno Zalgiris (3-0 at home, before a dead-rubber 1-0 defeat away) to reach the league phase.

The pattern of those qualifying victories is telling, with three of the five wins finishing by a single-goal margin, pointing to a side that controls matches effectively without necessarily blowing opponents away.

Marseille’s season has gone in the opposite direction after their opening day.

A 4-0 thrashing of Strasbourg on the first weekend suggested Genesio’s rebuilt squad could hit the ground running, but three consecutive defeats since then, against Monaco (2-0 away), Paris FC (3-2 at home) and Rennes (1-0 away), have left them with three points from four matches and a goal difference of zero.

The summer transfer window gutted the squad that finished the 2025-26 season, with Mason Greenwood departing for Fenerbahce, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang moving to Deportivo A Coruna, and Leonardo Balerdi, Geronimo Rulli and Quinten Timber also leaving.

Replacements such as Timothy Weah from Juventus and Himad Abdelli from Angers are still finding their feet, and the loss of Kondogbia to a muscle injury until October has further weakened a midfield already thin on depth.

Besiktas vs Marseille head-to-head record

These two clubs have met just twice before, both in the 2007-08 Champions League group stage.

Marseille won the first meeting 2-0 at the Stade Velodrome on September 18, 2007, with Julien Rodriguez and Djibril Cisse on the scoresheet.

Besiktas hit back in the return fixture on November 28, 2007, winning 2-1 at the Inonu Stadium in Istanbul through goals from Rodrigo Tello and Bobo, with Taye Taiwo netting a consolation for the visitors.

With 19 years separating those encounters from this fixture, the historical record carries no predictive weight whatsoever, as both squads, coaching setups and competitive contexts are entirely different.

Besiktas vs Marseille team news and predicted lineups

Besiktas have just one confirmed absentee in left back Ridvan Yilmaz, who is nursing a thigh injury and is not expected to return until late September.

Kassoum Ouattara has deputised in his absence and is likely to retain the shirt.

Ndidi, the Super Eagles midfielder, is available and expected to feature, though Salih Ozcan started the last two league matches in the holding role.

Dusan Vlahovic is the main selection question for Italiano, with the Serbian striker having scored four goals in the Super Lig despite starting only twice, producing match-winning contributions off the bench against Corum FK and Fenerbahce.

Hyeon-Gyu Oh started the most recent league match against Erzurumspor FK but could make way for Vlahovic in a European fixture that calls for the squad’s most experienced continental operator.

Marseille have deeper concerns in their squad.

Kondogbia’s muscle injury, sustained against Monaco, rules him out until October, while Nnadi, the Super Eagles midfielder, is sidelined with a knee injury until late September.

Igor Paixao and Angel Gomes are significant doubts after both were listed as unavailable despite having started at Rennes on September 11.

Paixao had previously missed the Monaco defeat with a thigh problem before returning to the squad for the Paris FC match, raising the possibility that this is a recurring issue.

The predicted lineups below assume both Paixao and Gomes are passed fit.

Predicted Besiktas XI (4-1-4-1): Nubel; Murillo, Agbadou, Topcu, Ouattara; Ozcan; Cerny, Kokcu, Olaitan, Trossard; Vlahovic.

Predicted Marseille XI (4-2-3-1): De Lange; Weah, Egan-Riley, Aguerd, Emerson; Hojbjerg, Abdelli; Harit, Gomes, Paixao; Gouiri.

Star player comparison: Vlahovic vs Gouiri

Star Player Comparison
Dusan Vlahovic Besiktas | Serbia	Stat	Amine Gouiri Marseille | Algeria
4	League Goals 26/27	4
7.72	Avg Rating (FotMob)	7.6
9	Shots (League)	4
2	League Starts	4

Vlahovic, the former Juventus striker, has been devastating in limited minutes this season, averaging a goal every 90 minutes from the bench before earning his first-choice billing for the European opener.

Gouiri, the Algerian international, has shouldered Marseille’s attacking burden alone since the departures of Greenwood and Aubameyang, scoring four of the club’s six Ligue 1 goals this season, including a brace on the opening weekend against Strasbourg.

The managers: Italiano vs Genesio

Italiano, 48, has made an immediate impact in Istanbul, registering an 80% win rate in the Super Lig and implementing a 4-1-4-1 system built on territorial dominance and high pressing.

Genesio, 60, inherited a squad in transition after replacing Habib Beye and is still searching for the right balance as the new signings integrate alongside a depleted midfield.

Besiktas vs Marseille tactical preview

Italiano’s 4-1-4-1 uses Ozcan as a single pivot behind a roaming four of Cerny, Kokcu, Olaitan and Trossard, with the Turkish international Kokcu given licence to drift between the lines and connect play with the front man.

Genesio is expected to set up in a 4-2-3-1, with Hojbjerg and Abdelli sitting deep and Harit, Gomes and Paixao tasked with feeding Gouiri through rapid transitions.

The key battleground will be whether Marseille can bypass Besiktas’ press quickly enough to exploit the space behind a high defensive line, or whether the hosts’ control of possession will suffocate any attempt at a counter-attacking strategy.

Cerny’s direct running from the right flank could cause problems for Emerson, while on the opposite side, Weah will have his hands full with Trossard and Olaitan rotating positions throughout the match.

Besiktas vs Marseille betting tips

The Naija Slip
BANKER	Besiktas to win	@ 2.17
Besiktas have won five of six Europa League qualifiers this season and are unbeaten in their last three home matches, scoring 12 goals in the process. Marseille have lost their last three official fixtures.
VALUE PLAY	Under 2.5 goals	@ 2.10
Three of Besiktas’ five qualifying wins came by a 1-0 margin. Two of Marseille’s four Ligue 1 matches this season have finished with fewer than 2.5 goals.
BIG ODDS FLUTTER	Besiktas to lead at half time	@ 2.40
Besiktas averaged four goals per home match across their last three at the Tupras Stadyumu, suggesting early pressure is a feature of Italiano’s approach. Marseille failed to score in either of their two Ligue 1 away fixtures this season.
FREE PUNT	Vlahovic to score anytime	[verify live]
The Serbian striker has four goals from limited Super Lig minutes and a FotMob rating of 7.72 this season. Odds require live confirmation before placement.

Besiktas vs Marseille score prediction

Score Prediction Besiktas 1-0 Marseille

Besiktas’ qualifying campaign produced an aggregate scoreline of 8-1 across three rounds, and the single-goal margin has been their default European result. Marseille’s midfield is weakened by two confirmed absences and two significant doubts, which will limit their ability to sustain pressure away from home. A clinical, controlled victory for the hosts looks the most likely outcome.

Likely scorer: Vlahovic (four goals from two starts this season) Key factor: Italiano’s 80% Super Lig win rate underpins genuine home advantage against a Marseille side yet to win away this term

For Ndidi, the Super Eagles midfielder, this fixture represents the perfect stage to underline his value in a squad capable of challenging deep into the tournament.

If Besiktas reproduce the defensive solidity that conceded just one goal across six qualifying ties, and marry it with the attacking potency they have shown at the Tupras Stadyumu, a narrow home victory feels like the most probable outcome against a Marseille side still searching for stability under their new manager.