Both Atletico, Arsenal are trying to save their seasons by winning Europa League

Atletico Madrid and Arsenal are both out to save their seasons. Arsenal is looking to qualify for the Champions League by winning the Europa League, while Atletico is looking to get something from a season that promised so much but has so far delivered little.

The teams play in the second leg of the Europa League semifinals. They drew 1-1 in England last week, when Antoine Griezmann scored late to give Atletico hope despite playing most of the match with 10 men. Atletico, which has already secured a spot in Champions League and is in second place behind champion Barcelona in the Spanish league with three matches left, had expected to contend for titles both domestically and internationally.

It didn’t go as planned, however, and Atletico was eliminated in the group stage of the Champions League — something that hadn’t happened in four seasons — and fell to Sevilla in the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey. The team did well in the Spanish league by staying ahead of Real Madrid but it never really challenged Barcelona for the title. When it had a chance to move closer, it lost to the Catalan club to see its title hopes all but evaporate.

Arsenal is sixth in the Premier League and needs the title to return to the Champions League after a one year absence.

A failure to make it to the final would keep Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger from winning one last title before bidding his farewell at the end of the season. Wenger announced two weeks ago he was standing down as Arsenal coach after nearly 22 years at the helm.

MARSEILLE WITHIN TOUCH OF EUROPEAN GLORY DAYS
Marseille face Salzburg tonight within touching distance of their first European final in almost a decade and a half.

Goals from Florian Thauvin and Clinton Njie in last week’s Europa League semifinal first leg kept alive the French club’s quest for a first continental title since their triumph in the inaugural Champions League final way back in 1993. They subsequently reached the UEFA Cup final in 2004, losing to Rafael Benitez’s Valencia in Gothenburg.

Success in Salzburg would leave the American-owned Ligue 1 side facing serious opposition in the shape of Atletico Madrid or Arsenal. In Marseille’s favour should they prevail in Austria is the fact that the May 16 final is being staged in Lyon, just a couple of hundred kilometres inland from their Mediterranean headquarters.

When American billionaire Frank McCourt bought the slumbering French giants in October 2016 after their worst finish — 13th — in Ligue 1 in 15 years he promised to restore the glory days of the once-dominant club. With Rudi Garcia’s arrival as coach on a three-year contract and investment in new players Marseille finished fifth last season, and are now fourth, one point behind third-placed Monaco with three games of the season remaining.

But before their fans start booking accommodation for the final their team must see off a Salzburg side that have not lost at home all season and who beat Marseille 1-0 in the Europa League group phase.

Garcia for one was not taking anything for granted, declaring after last week’s win: “We have to remain humble, nothing’s done yet.

“If we can take everyone to the final in France that would be brilliant but we are not there yet.”

Garcia has good reason to inject a note of caution, judging by Salzburg’s escape act against Lazio in the quarter-finals.

Trailing 4-2 after the first leg in Rome and seemingly done and dusted the Austrian champions coached by Marco Rose wiped the floor with Lazio 4-1 in the second leg to progress 6-5 on aggregate.

Marseille though will be bitterly disappointed if they don’t hit the right notes in Mozart’s home city.