The UEFA Europa League Round of 16 gets underway on Thursday night with several intriguing first-leg encounters as teams aim to take an advantage into the return fixtures. We take a closer look at two of the standout clashes from a betting perspective below.
Outright Betting Snapshot
In the outright market, Aston Villa lead the betting at 4.00, followed closely by Olympique Lyon at 8.00. Real Betis are priced at 9.00 alongside AS Roma and you can get 10.00 and bigger the balance.
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LOSC Lille vs Aston Villa – Click here to bet
Lille booked their place in the Round of 16 after overcoming Crvena zvezda in the playoff round. They suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat at home in the first leg but responded superbly in the return fixture with a 2-0 away victory to progress on aggregate.
Their recent Europa League form has been mixed but competitive, including a solid 1-0 home win over Freiburg earlier in the campaign and a narrow 2-1 defeat away to Celta Vigo.
Aston Villa arrive in strong European form having won all five of their most recent Europa League matches. Their recent results include a 3-2 home victory over Salzburg, a disciplined 1-0 away win at Fenerbahce and a solid 2-1 triumph away to Basel earlier in the competition.
Domestically the English side have struggled lately in the Premier League, losing their last two fixtures.
Head-to-Head
Their most recent meetings came in the 2023/24 Europa Conference League where the home team won on each occassion.
Match Odds (1X2)
Lille: 3.00
Draw: 3.40
Aston Villa: 2.45
Verdict
Lille are typically strong at home, and their defensive structure could make this a tight first-leg encounter. However, Aston Villa’s excellent run of European form and ability to pick up results away from home gives them a slight edge heading into this clash which I feel will contain goals.
BET: Aston Villa to Win and Over 2.5 Goals at 4.25
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Nottingham Forest vs FC Midtjylland – Click here to bet
Nottingham Forest progressed to this point in the competition after an impressive playoff performance against Fenerbahce. They followed up a 3-0 win on the road in the first leg with a narrow 2-1 loss at home to secure qualification.
Their campaign has also included convincing results such as a 4-0 home win against Ferencvaros and a strong 2-1 away victory at Utrecht earlier in the tournament.
Domestically they are wobbling with only 1 point from the last 9 played for in the Premier League.
Midtjylland arrive after a solid run of results in the competition which includes a 2-0 home win over Dinamo Zagreb and an entertaining 3-3 draw away to Brann prior to that. They also recorded notable victories earlier in the group stage including a 3-1 home success against Celtic and a narrow 1-0 win over Genk.
The Danish side have shown they can compete against strong opposition but have occasionally struggled when facing high-intensity teams away from home like when they went down 2-1 to AS Roma late last year.
Head-to-Head
The sides have met once previously in European competition earlier this season, with Midtjylland claiming a 3-2 victory away to Nottingham Forest during the group stage.
Match Odds (1X2)
Nottingham Forest: 1.57
Draw: 4.25
Midtjylland: 5.75
Verdict
Nottingham Forest will be eager to respond after losing the previous meeting between the sides earlier in the competition. With home advantage and strong attacking performances in recent rounds, they appear well positioned to take a first-leg lead.
BET: Nottingham Forest to Win and Over 1.5 Goals at 1.91
Odds correct at time of writing but subject to change.
