Timothy Weah backs Marseille to shine Europa League despite sloppy start

Marseille captain Timothy Weah remains confident his side can qualify for the UEFA Europa League knockout stages despite suffering back-to-back defeats at the start of their campaign.

The French giants hopes of securing their first points were dealt another blow on Thursday when they suffered a 1-0 home defeat to Olympiacos, leaving them without a point after their opening two matches.

The French side had also lost away to Besiktas in their opening fixture, putting them under early pressure in their bid to progress to the next stage of the competition.

However, Weah, who has American and Liberian roots has urged his teammates to remain focused and maintain belief in their ability to turn their fortunes around, insisting their final position will depend on how they respond to the disappointing start.

“100% we can still qualify. It’s about how you finish,” the United States international said after the defeat.

“Once we put our minds to it and continue to work as a team and push forward, and hopefully we get some wins.”

Marseille are among nine teams yet to collect a point after two rounds of matches, leaving them with little room for further mistakes as the league phase progresses.

The French outfit now face two consecutive away fixtures, first against Sturm Graz before travelling to Germany to take on Bayer Leverkusen. Both matches will provide important opportunities for Marseille to revive their campaign and climb the standings.

Their next home fixture at the Vélodrome, against Levski Sofia at the end of November, could become increasingly significant depending on the results they achieve in the coming weeks.

Despite the difficult situation, Marseille head coach Bruno Genesio has also refused to abandon hope, acknowledging the need for improvement while stressing that qualification remains possible.

“We’ll believe until the end,” Genesio said.

“Of course, it is not ideal to start with two defeats. There are still lots of games to go after the qualification, but we have to improve and be better than we were this evening.”

Marseille must now translate that determination into results, with Weah and his teammates needing a strong response in their upcoming fixtures to keep their European ambitions alive.