The Round of 16 is upon us in the Europa League which means we are one step closer to knowing who will reign supreme and we take a look at 4 of the 1st leg matches, suggesting a bet in each.
Liverpool enters this round as resounding favourites if current odds are anything to go by.
The Reds can be snapped up at 85/40 if that’s your fancy whilst 2nd favourite Bayer Leverkusen are currently on offer at 5/1. AC Milan at 9/1 looks an interesting price whilst the field can be obtained at 14/1 or more. Plenty of value to be found by clicking the link below:
Click here for all the long-term Europa League markets
Feyenoord v AS Roma – Click here to bet
After unceremoniously bowing out of the Champions League, Feyenoord get a 2nd chance here for European silverware. They find themselves locking horns against a familiar face which ultimately ended their Europa League campaign last season (4-2 on aggregate).
Form-wise, Feyenoord could not be in a better place, having won 6 from 7 in all respective competitions. It is safe to say they will be going into this clash with relatively high confidence. Having kept 3 consecutive clean sheets also bodes well for the hosts and there is no doubt they will be hoping for a similar outcome this Thursday.
Roma themselves come into this game with some rather impressive results. Despite going down 4-2 at home to Inter over the weekend, it was the first loss for Daniele De Rossi since taking charge as head coach for the Giallorossi. His style of play has been a breath of fresh air and will be interesting to see if he adopts a similar attack-minded approach on his first European excursion as the Gaffer.
Feyenoord will be desperate to go into the 2nd leg with some sort of a lead. The hosts have managed to keep things tight at the back but do take on a side that have been in a rich vein of goal scoring form (12 goals from 5 games). It will be interesting to see which one of those trends continue knowing that something has to give.
Whilst we cannot discount Roma’s chances given their recent goal scoring tally, Feyenoord’s slightly better run of form could just about get them over the line in this one.
Suggested Bet: Feyenoord to win at 1/1
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FC Shakhtar Donetsk v Olympique Marseille– Click here to bet
Europa League offers a lifeline for Shakhtar Donetsk after yet another disappointing Champions League campaign came to an abrupt end. Having registered 3 wins they can count themselves rather unlucky to not have progressed further from Group H. This was the sixth consecutive season where they failed to progress further than the group stage.
There will be concern that Shakhtar enter this competition lacking sharpness knowing that the last time they featured in a competitive game was back in December. Despite keeping busy during the winter break by setting up a roster of Club ‘friendlies’. The general ‘feel’ would suggest they go into Europe undercooked. Another blow for them of course is the fact that their home games will now have to be played in Hamburg, Germany.
Despite finishing runner-up in Group B, Olympique Marseille go into this fixture on a rather uninspiring run of form. Which is rather unfortunate, given this would have been an ideal opportunity to strike.
Having registered zero wins from their last five appearances in all competitions, a lot will have to change if they plan on taking anything positive from the 1st leg. They will draw inspiration from the fact that out of those five games, four ended all square. A similar result would not be the worst outcome for the visitors to take home all things considered.
Given their current form, neutral venue and lack of competitive football, this encounter seems to have arrived at the wrong time for both sides. It’s hard to make a case for either side and for that reason they could quite easily cancel each other out on the day.
Suggested Bet: Draw at 5/2
Benfica v Toulouse – Click here to bet
Benfica find themselves demoted after a rather toothless campaign in the Champions League. Realistically they were never in contention after only obtaining a single win in all of their respective appearances. That being said, they arrive this Thursday on a more positive note, having registered an impressive run of ten wins from twelve in all competitions.
Their recent run of form at home is particularly impressive, having accumulated six wins from seven, finding the net twenty times in the process. It is safe to say they are a team on the up, making the Estádio da Luz a bit of a fortress.
Toulouse finished 2nd behind Liverpool in their respective group having only registered one loss, something they can be proud of given the pedigree Liverpool bring to the competition. Having netted in every away game, offers them hope as well as a reputation not to be underestimated.
Their recent run of form shows mixed results and they will be hoping for more consistency now that they have re-entered the Europa League Arena. Having lost twice in their last three games, preparation has been far from ideal. Their main concern will be the fact that they have been guilty of shipping goals on the road (twelve conceded in their last seven games), something they will desperately have to address knowing how destructive Benfica can be on their day.
Despite posing a threat upfront, Toulouse look particularly vulnerable on the road. This leads me to suggest a strike on a more exotic front.
Benfica are resounding favourites given their current price on offer is 37/100, unfortunately, this offers little value unless you are considering including it in a multiple of some sort. If value is what you are after then perhaps a bet on the goal front as well as some cover on the hosts is the way to go.
Suggested Bet: Double chance and total, Benfica win or draw and over 2.5 goals at 17/20
RC Lens v Freiburg –Click here to bet
Lens can count themselves most unfortunate having been downgraded from the Champions League. Given the sort of results they managed to produce during the group stages, there is no doubt that a genuine opportunity was missed in terms of progressing further. Granted they were at home but having secured maximum points against the likes of Arsenal and Sevilla, those results would certainly have raised a few eyebrows. Europa League beckons and despite coming across as a bit of a consolation prize, if taken seriously, they could be genuine dark horses.
Their current run of form has shown once again just how impressive they have become at home. Having registered a 3-1 win over the weekend against Strasbourg, their impressive tally continues to grow and has now stretched to 6 wins from 8 in all competitions. It is safe to assume that Lens enter the fray in a very positive position.
Freiburg on the other hand could not be in more contrasting form by comparison. Despite obtaining 2nd spot in Group A with 12 points. Their recent run of form shows a very different turn of events for the German outfit.
Having lost yet again over the weekend, this time 3-0 to Dortmund, they now enter this game on the back of 3 losses on the bounce, something they will be desperate to address and turn around.
This will be the first time these two square up and despite not having much to go by, it should make for interesting viewing nonetheless.
Can Freiburg find the sort of form they’ve already shown they can produce in Europe? Or alternatively, can Lens continue to impress in front of their home crowd?
All these questions will be answered in due course but for now, based on recent form and a stellar home record, RC Lens could well be the way to go.
Suggested Bet: RC Lens win at 8/10
Note: All prices correct at the time of writing but are subject to change
