Although 48  teams featured in Friday’s Europa League draw, there are effectively a total of 56 sides still in the competition, with 8 third-placed teams from the Champions League group stages set to join the top two from each of the 12 groups in the last 32.

Therefore, it’s worth bearing this in mind when betting on the Europa League outright betting market, with MANCHESTER CITY the clear favourite at odds of 6/1 (Blue Square) despite the fact that they have been drawn with Juventus in Group A. Roberto Mancini has spent over £100 million on quality players this season and the bookmakers think that this will be enough to help them go very close.

Clearly, it depends on what sort of teams drop out of the Champions League and into this competition, although 6/1 could seem like a big price considering that City boast players like James Milner, Carlos Tevez, David Silva and Yaya Toure. The latter trio have major experience when it comes to European football and they might prove the best of the rest.

LIVERPOOL looked as though their participation in the competition could have come to an end on Thursday, with the Reds finding themselves a goal down to Trabzonspor in their second leg match. However, Roy Hodgson’s team showed tremendous character to go through in Turkey and they are now 11/1 (Blue Square) to win the Europa League. The manager steered Fulham to the final last season, so perhaps they will go far again.

The team that beat Fulham last season were ATLETICO MADRID and the Spanish side also recently beat Inter Milan to win the Super Cup. This is a talented team that feature Kun Aguero and Diego Forlan in attack, with 16/1 (Sky Bet) looking like an attractive bet. SEVILLA are another Spanish side that look like being lively contenders this season, with most people expecting them to account for Braga in the Champions League play-offs. Bet365 go 16/1 that they make amends by winning this piece of silverware.

Perhaps the winning team will come from Group A but will be JUVENTUS (16/1 Blue Square) rather than Manchester City. The Old Lady of Turin cruised into the group stage after beating Sturm Graz and will be looking to avoid a repeat of that embarrassing defeat by Fulham last season which saw the Italian team in absolute control before Fabio Cannavaro got sent off at Craven Cottage.

There are many other Italian teams in the Europa League and NAPOLI (33/1 bet365) could give Liverpool a run for their money in Group K. PALERMO are 40/1 chances with bet365, while SAMPDORIA could be the pick of the bunch at 40/1 (Stan James). The latter were fourth in last season’s Serie A, although some sloppy defensive play allowed Werder Bremen to account for them in the Champions League play-off.

The other team worth considering is CSKA MOSCOW, the Russian side who reached the quarter final of last season’s Champions League. It’s a surprise to see Sky Bet offering 33/1, especially when firms like Sporting Bet are trading at 20/1.

The Premier League’s entrants into the Europa League for this season, have all learned who their opposition will be in the Play-Off round. The winners of these ties will go into the Europa League group stage for the tournament, the current holders of which are the Diego Forlan inspired Atletico Madrid. Liverpool, who had to come through a qualification round prior to this play-off round, have a tie against Trabzonspor from Turkey. Liverpool, who beat Macedonian side Rabotnicki 4-0 on aggregate in the previous round, will have a much tougher time of things against the Turkish side. Liverpool will begin the tie at home on August 19th, with the away fixture being booked for August 26th. Those are the same dates for all home and away fixtures for the Europa League play-off round. Liverpool have encountered Trabzonspor in European competition once before, with Liverpool comfortably beating their opponents, but that was over thirty years ago which clearly won’t have any bearing on what happens at the end of August.

Big spending Manchester City have an away first leg against FC Timisoara from Romania. They have a much easier fixture on paper, against a side that only came to be an established club less than a decade ago. Naturally the word from the City camp is how tough and tricky a game it will be, showing some respect to a team which their star studded side should hammer. Aston Villa, who are still awaiting the appointment of a new manager after Martin O’Neill suddenly walked out on the Midlands side, will square off against Rapid Vienna from Austria. This will be the second consecutive season that the two clubs have clashed in the Europa League, and Villa will have revenge in mind after the Austrians triumphed last year after winning both home and away legs. Looking at the draw for the English clubs, Villa got the wrong end of the stick really, and whoever comes in as new boss, could automatically win some plaudits by taking Villa deep into Europe.

Scottish sides Celtic, Dundee United and Motherwell are also in the Play-Off stage of the competition, playing Utrecht, AEK Athens and Odense respectively. Wales are represented by The New Saints who play CSKA Sofia from Bulgaria.

Europa League Play Off First Legs

Liverpool to win: 1/3 at SkyBet
Draw: 7/2 at Totesport
Trabzonsport to win: 8/1 at Totesport

Manchester City to win: 8/11 at Blue Square
Draw: 13/5 at Totesport
FC Timisoara: 4/1 at Bwin

Aston Villa to win: Evens at Bwin
Draw: 9/4 at Totesport
Rapid Vienna to win: 13/8 at SkyBet

Europa League Outrights
Manchester City: 13/2 at Bet365
Liverpool: 10/1 at SkyBet
Juventus: 14/1 at Totesport
Atletico Madrid: 16/1 at Stan James
Aston Villa: 25/1 at BetFred
Celtic: 80/1 at Totesport

Liverpool, Aston Villa and Manchester City will learn will learn their European opponents for the Europa League play-offs on Friday. The draw is for the Europa League Play-Off draw, and Liverpool booked their place in the week, with a 2-0 victory over Rabotnicki at Anfield. That secured a 4-0 aggregate victory over the Macedonian side, as Liverpool began their quest for some European silverware after missing out on a place in the Champions League this year. They will be joined by Manchester City and Aston Villa who qualified directly for the play off stage of qualification thanks to their finish in the Premier League, and Celtic who dropped out of the Champions League qualification. England will be looking for another strong representation in the competition this year, after Fulham reached the final of the competition last year, losing to Atletico Madrid.

The Europa League play off ties are played on August 19th and August 26th

Europa League Outright Odds
Manchester City: 6/1 at SkyBet
Liverpool: 10/1 at Boylesports
Juventus: 14/1 at Stan James
Atletico Madrid: 14/1 at Victor Chandler
Porto: 25/1 at SkyBet
Aston Villa: 25/1 at BetFred

For Tottenham, they get their first taste of Champions League football this season, as they going into the final qualification round which stands between them and  place in the Group Stages of the main event. Spurs, who finished fourth in the Premier League last season, know who they can come up against, and that will be Dynamo Kiev, Braga (who knocked out Celtic in the previous round), Sampdoria, Auxerre or Swiss opponents Young Boys. Having never kicked a ball in anger before in the Champions League, this is a big event for Harry Redknapp’s Tottenham. They will be looking forward to this, and hopefully they will be able to join Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal in the group stage of the Champions League proper.

Champions League play off ties are played on August 17th/18th and second legs on 24th/25th of August.

Champions League Outright Odds
Barcelona – 7/2 at SportingBet
Real Madrid – 5/1 at Paddy Power
Chelsea: 13/2 at SkyBet
Man Utd: 17/2 at Bwin
Inter Milan: 14/1 Boylesports
Arsenal: 16/1 at Bet365
Tottenham: 50/1 at Bet365

Liverpool v Rabotnicki Odds

Liverpool to win: 1/10 at Stan James
Draw: 9/1 at William Hill
Rabotnicki to win: 33/1 at ExtraBet

After a comfortable first leg 2-0 away win in Macedonia, Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson is set to select a stronger squad for the return Europa League fixture at Anfield on Thursday. Liverpool’s first leg came just 18 days after the end of the World Cup, and new boss Hodgson sent out an inexperienced squad, resting some of his senior players. There was no Steven Gerrard, Joe Cole or Glen Johnson, but under fire striker David Ngog scored the brace, and Liverpool were comfortable enough in a dull encounter, which gave them the upper hand in this Europa League Third Round qualifier. In a strange approach to the game, Hodgson actually set up a defensive side and Liverpool’s thoughts about attacking only flourished when there was little caution about doing so. The style of the game showed just how valuable the Europa League is to Liverpool this season, even if they did not send out their strongest side.

The match at Anfield on Thursday could see the Anfield debut of Joe Cole who was picked up for free after being allowed to walk out of Chelsea in the summer. Roy Hodgson is now ready to put out his strongest side that he can for the second leg of the encounter, getting some valuable match fitness and sharpness into his best players. He apparently has no qualms about throwing some senior players back into action, after some of them turned out on a friendly on the weekend. That will mean a return to the competitive side for Captain Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Maxi Rodriguez and probably Cole, but Liverpool still will not be completely at full strength. Fernando Torres, still at the heart of much transfer speculation is out injured, and Dirk Kuyt and Ryan Babel are not available after only just returning to training.

If Liverpool can beat Rabotnicki away from home with an inexperienced side, then there is not doubt about them repeating the feat. Rabotnicki, coming out of the top of the Macedonian league simply are not good enough. The Macedonians will send out the same side from the first leg in Skopje, and they seem to be resigned to their fate already. One player who won’t be appearing for Liverpool is Javier Mascherano who was not registered for the tournament. Mascherano is expected to leave Anfield to move to Inter Milan, after wan ting to get out of Anfield. Still, even if the senior players do not complete the ninety minutes, Liverpool will be far too strong for the opposition. After this Third Qualifying Round, Liverpool will go in the Europa League Play Off round, the winners of which, will enter the proper Group Stage of the main tournament.

Liverpool to win Europa League: 12/1 at Coral

Liverpool v Rabotnicki Betting Odds

Rabotnicki to win: 12/1 at Totesport
Draw: 5/1 at Boylesports
Liverpool to win: 1/4 at Stan James

Thursday, July 29th, Skopje, Macedonia, Kick Off: 19.45 GMT

New Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson takes his troops in competitive battle for the first time on Thursday, as the Anfield outfit look to book their place in the Group Stages of the Europa League. Yes, that is the extent of Liverpool’s adventures in Europe for this season, having to qualifying for the Europa League, and it begins against Macedonia side Rabotnicki Skopje. There have been hints that while Hodgson was expected to leave some of his senior players out of the side, he is respectful enough of the competition to contemplate throwing in the likes of Steven Gerrard and former Chelsea player Joe Cole. Both were involved at the World Cup, along with the likes of Jamie Carragher, Glen Johnson, Milan Jovanovic and Javier Mascherano and wanted to give them some extra rest ahead of the new season. But the Anfield boss could well be leaning towards putting Gerrard and Cole in particular, right into the starting line up. While the situation is not too tough of one, it is one which needs a confident hand to get through without any kind of scares. The calming influence of the midfield general Steven Gerrard, would certainly help in that factor.

Despite the quality of the opposition, Liverpool and Hodgson can afford no early scares as they look to qualify for the competition. There will be a play-off round for them if they get through this third qualifying round, so there is still work to do. Hodgson’s decision may go against the advice of the Anfield medical crew, who are insistent that the players still need more of a break in order to be ready for the new Premier League season which starts in August. Liverpool lost to German side Kaiserslautern 1-0 on the weekend in which new signing Milan Jovanovic got a run out, and under pressure striker David Ngog got a start. The speculation over Fernando Torres still swells, as Hodgson is hopeful that he will stay at the club, but admits that the player has a problem with the club, and not Hodgson himself. If he does depart it will leave a huge hole in the club, and although Torres is expected to return to training on Monday as he recovers from an injury, the window of opportunity to transfer him will be closing soon.

Argentinean midfielder Javier Mascherano has demanded that he be allowed to leave Anfield, as he wants to join up with former boss Rafa Benitez at Inter Milan. Mascherano and Maxi Rodriguez both turned up for training at the beginning of the week, but the Mascherano camp has been unhappy about his future at Anfield. Contract talks between him and the club have fallen down, and it is more likely than not that Hodgson will agree to the sale, in order to raise some funds for the club. Despite missing out on Champions League football, and despite the threat of departing players, there is a sense of optimism around Liverpool supporters that the clearing out of Rafa Benitez has been helpful. There is an unknown quantity in charge no, in terms of experience at the top level of the English game in Hodgson, but he could just be the right hand needed to steady the ship. Their first task is to come through the Europa League qualifier away leg on Thursday in Macedonia, and take on step closer to reaching the group stage. Last season, Hodgson took Fulham all the way to the final of the Europa League, where they lost to Atlético Madrid, Liverpool’s conquerors in the competition. They really should have not too many problems in this fixture, the only concern is the lack of striking power up front and being able to take changes.

Europa League Third Qualifying Round To Qualify
Liverpool: 1/33 at Bet365
Rabotnicki: 14/1 at Bwin

Reds start in third qualifying round of Europa League

Liverpool now know their fate for finishing seventh in the Premier League last year, and missing out on the Champions League. They will face either Macedonia side Rabotnicki, or Mika from Armenia in the Third Qualifying round of the Europa League. The fixture for the home leg of the tie, is at Anfield on July 29th, and the return fixture is on August 5th. Should Liverpool win their way through that, then they will face a two leg play-off to get into the Group Stage of the tournament. This is quite a fall from grace for the Anfield outfit, which have been enjoying the European high life in the Champions League over the past seasons. They failed to get out of the group stage in last year’s Champions League though, and ended up joining the latter stages of the Europa League, where they failed to make the final after running into Diego Forlan’s Atletico Madrid.

This will be the first test of Roy Hodgson’s managerial career at Liverpool, after moving from Fulham in the summer, following the departure of Rafa Benitez. Hodgson is apparently set on keeping Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard, supposedly telling them that they are not going anywhere. Those are quite bold words, as it is hard to see them rejecting a multi million pound deal for Torres if it comes in for the Spanish striker. The future over Argentinean Javier Mascherano is still uncertain, as Hodgson has been able to get a hold of the midfielder, who has been linked with moves away. The biggest transfer rumours will continue to be around Torres, who is still recovering from injury. Liverpool are in financial difficulties, and the club is up for sale, so deals for their star striker Torres could be very tempting. The future of both he and Gerrard could all depend on how well Liverpool get off to the start of their new season. Should they be flailing in the league again come the January transfer window, it may be even harder to hang on to them if Hodgson manages to keep them both for the start of the season.

Liverpool are 12/1 at Stan James to win the Europe League, while other English representatives in the tournament Manchester City (15/2 at Coral), and Aston Villa (25/1 at SkyBet) both enter into the tournament at the Play Off stage, which comes after the third round of qualifying (where Liverpool are starting). Other big names in the tournament are Italian giants Juventus (14/1 at Stan James) and last year’s winner’s Atletico Madrid (16/1 at Stan James).

Poland and Ukraine are the countries co-hosting this tournament and that means that there are only fourteen other places up for grabs. Some would probably argue that Spain should get a bye into the finals after adding a world crown to their European one in South Africa, although we will almost certainly see Vicente Del Bosque’s team in eastern Europe to defend their title.

A selection of bookmakers, including Ladbrokes and bet365, offer 4/1 that La Furia Roja continue to show they are top dogs in Euro 2012 and they will retain the nucleus of the team that won the country’s first ever World Cup. Young players such as Pedro, Jesus Navas and David Silva will ensure that there is fierce competition for places and we might even see a fit Fernando Torres in two years time!

However, many people will be looking to back Germany antepost instead, especially as they are available at odds of 6/1 with Ladbrokes. Although Joachim Low’s team fell short against the Spanish in the semi-finals, there’s a strong case for arguing that they are the second best team in the world and the manager will have two years to ensure that his team can come back stronger.

With Thomas Mueller, Bastian Schweinsteiger and  Mesut Ozil all playing starring roles for Die Mannschaft in South Africa, it will be interesting to see whether they can continue their free-scoring ways which made them so prolific this summer.

The Netherlands are available at 8/1 (Victor Chandler) to win Euro 2012 and they will take some beating if the last World Cup is anything to go by. While the likes of Mark Van Bommel aren’t getting any younger and Gio van Bronckhorst has retired, Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder and Robin Van Persie will still pack a punch for the Oranje.

While Spain, Germany and Holland ensured that there were three European teams in the semi-finals, there were several of the ‘old order’ that failed to make much impact at all in South Africa. Expectations were once again high that England would deliver in a major tournament although their poor performances throughout means that Sporting Bet have pushed the Three Lions out to 12/1. It could be a period of transition for this team who need to bring young players in.

As for France, there will also be sweeping changes with the players in the squad. Raymond Domenech has been replaced by Laurent Blanc and the latter will command much more respect within the camp after the shameful way that Les Bleus conducted themselves in South Africa. Perhaps they are the best bet at 14/1 (Stan James), especially as the squad will be packed with top quality players.

Italy were equally as disappointing with their failure to beat New Zealand, Slovakia or Paraguay in their World Cup group and they have been pushed out to 11/1 (Paddy Power). Meanwhile, you can back Portugal at 14/1 (Coral), Russia at 20/1 (Blue Square) and Ukraine at 40/1 (bet365).

Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid Europa League Semi Final Second Leg Betting Preview: Liverpool endured a long journey to Madrid for the first leg of their Europa League semi final against Atletico Madrid. With their travel plans disrupted by the volcanic ash from Iceland, Liverpool had to travel over land to their destination, but their plans of snatching an away goal was harshly disrupted by an Atletico side which were in a fighting mood at home. Missing their star player, striker Fernando Torres, Liverpool again lacked any kind of cutting edge up front, and once again their lack of quality in depth showed. Atletico are one of the teams which fell from the Champions League, and the home victory against Liverpool was only their second victory in Europe this season. Their progress has been somewhat remarkable, as they have been drawing matches to reach the semi final of the competition, relying on crucial away goals.

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez was demanding a goal from his side, as some kind of reward to take away from their arduous journey to the Spanish capital, but they could not find the back of the net. Atletico took an early lead, when former Manchester United striker Diego Forlan squeezed the ball past Pepe Reina within the first ten minutes. The travelling reds could not  muster a response to that strike, which handed the Madrid side a huge advantage going into the second leg at Anfield on Thursday. Not only did the Spaniards stop Liverpool getting an away goal, but now they are in the position where an away goal for themselves will count double. The main worry for Liverpool is finding the right balance between attack and defence, as Altetico are a great side on the counter attack, which could spell disaster for the Anfield fans if they break away and get an away goal.

If ever Liverpool needed Fernando Torres, it is now, but the striker is missing for the rest of the season. This will come to the relief of many of the Atletico supporters, who will remember Torres from his days at his former club, knowing just what a threat he can be. Liverpool did find their goalscoring form in the Premier League on Saturday, as they hit four unanswered goals past Burnley in their quest for a fourth spot finish. But this semi final is not a match up between two sides on top of their game. Atletico have had just as many struggles, if not more than Liverpool this season, and the lack of quality from both sides was evident throughout the game. This is why is should be an entertaining affair, and one that hinges on the fence when looking at it from a betting perspective.

Youngster David Ngog up front for Liverpool does not look like any kind of solution for the Reds in the absence of Torres. In fact he has looked largely ineffective in his spells leading the line, and it took almost until half time for Liverpool to start getting into the match. Atletico Madrid definitely had the better of the chances, and could have ran out more comfortable winners with a little more composure in front of goal. But while Liverpool’s failing can rest on Ngog’s shoulders, a lot of blame needs to come from two other departments. The midfield is lacking top class creativity, and worryingly for England’s World Cup campaign, general Steven Gerrard is looking a shadow of his former self. Boss Rafa Benitez refused to throw on Alberto Aquilani to provide any kind of link up between midfield and forwards in Madrid, and it appears like it would have made more impact in getting a grip in the middle of the park.

Liverpool v Atletico Madrid Match Odds
Liverpool to win: 8/13 at SkyBet
Draw: 3/1 at BetFred
Atletico Madrid to win: 5/1 at Boylesports

To Qualify
Liverpool: 11/10 at Paddy Power
Atletico Madrid: 5/6 at Totesport

Asian Handicap Betting Advice: Liverpool still demands respect from other European opponents, and other teams always look upon visits to Anfield with great reverence. Liverpool, if they can get things on the right, should be able to get through. There is no reason why not, as Madrid are competent, but not a great side, certainly nothing tougher than they would come up against in the Premier League. They do have a good defence and that should bring them some comfort, but they just need to find more of a cutting edge up front. Would lean towards Atletico not losing the second leg as opposed to Liverpool winning it.
Atletico Madrid +1 Asian Handicap: 3/4 at Victor Chandler

Fulham v Hamburg Europa League Semi Final Second Leg Betting Preview: Industrious is a good word to describe Fulham. Although they fielded a much weekend side for their Premier League match against Everton on the weekend, they have proven to be a thorn in the side of some of the top European sides in the Europa League this season. Hard work and endeavour by Roy Hodgson’s men, has seen them get past Juventus, Roma and Shakhtar Dontesk in the competition this season, and have one foot in the final after holding German side Hamburg to a 0-0 draw. Although they failed to get a crucial away goal, which leaves them under some kind of pressure, it was a good result for the London side. One notable factor they had to overcome, was their travel plans which were disrupted ahead of the match, needing to get to Germany over land instead of flying because of the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud.

It was a fairly one sided match in Hamburg, despite possession being shared, the visiting Fulham failed to register an attempt on goal and only had to attempts wide. But they will take heart that over the ninety minutes, as Hamburg were unable to carve out a real clear cut chance, even with the experienced presence of ex Manchester United striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy in the line up. Fulham keeper Mark Schwarzer did a great job in net to keep a clean sheet for the visiting side, but the truth is, the home side should have been more ruthless. But the 0-0 is not so much of a bad result for the Germans, who could now win the tie by converting just the once chance back at Craven Cottage. It is a sure fact that Fulham will have to be a bit more expansive than they were in the first leg of the Europa semi final, and that could play into the hands of the Germans.

It is not clear quite what Fulham will encounter on Thursday, as Hamburg reacted to a heavy 5-1 domestic thrashing on the weekend, by sacking their coach Bruno Labbadia. The club were having serious doubts that they would be able to get to the final of the Europa League with him in charge, and now assistant coach Ricardo Moniz will be at the helm for the rest of the season. Reports out of the German camp, were that Labbadia had lost control over his team in the dressing room, and the entire atmosphere was not a happy one. Whether or not their tactics will change greatly remains to be seen, but one thing they appear to need, is more of a cutting edge in the final third of the pitch, with an emphasis of actually getting the ball into the box to the strikers.

What effect will this have on the tie? Most of the time when a new coach comes into a club, the players step up performances and pull wins out of the bag, where before they would have seemed far fetched. Will the change in personnel and perhaps tactics, spur the Germans on to success in London? Or will the change at the top leave them disjointed, and in a position which the tactical supremacy of Roy Hodgson will be able to exploit? Fulham have their own worries, primarily over the fitness of star striker Bobby Zamora, who many think still should be part of England’s World Cup plans. Fulham lost Zamora to injury in the first leg, a factor which meant that Fulham had to shut up shop a lot more than perhaps they had planned to. As much as he tried to get through the game, his Achilles injury meant that he departed the scene just after half time. Risking him could prove expensive, as Fulham await news of his fitness. It has been Zamora’s goals (19 of them this season), combined with his impressive ability to hold up the ball, which has propelled Fulham through Europe.

Fulham v Hamburg Match Odds
Fulham to win: 6/5 at SkyBet
Draw: 12/5 at Bet365
Hamburg to win: 5/2 at Victor Chandler

To Qualify
Fulham: Evens at William Hill
Hamburg: 10/11 at Bet365

Asian Handicap Betting Advice: Fulham have never lost a European game at Craven Cottage, but they may have their hands full on Thursday night. Without Zamora, their task will be made all that much harder, as they have to tread a fine line between seeking a winning goal, and not conceding an expensive away one. Fulham have saved some of their best performances for Europe this season, and the London side could enjoy another fantastic night if they can hold on to the ball. Their opponents are tough, but not infallible by any means. It needs a cautious but positive approach by Hodgson, and backing the away team to at least get a draw will probably bring best odds here for the tie.
Fulham -0.25 Asian Handicap: 3/4 at Victor Chandler

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez heads to his home city in the hope of guiding Liverpool to some glory this season. It has not been the easiest of seasons for them, after crumbling from the Champions League at the group stage, and falling well behind in the race for the Premier League title. Their lacklustre domestic form, coupled with injuries to star players, left Liverpool chasing only fourth place in the Premier League, the spot needed to project them back into Europe’s elite competition next season. But even that looks nothing more than a pipe dream, as they are five points back having played a game more than current fourth spot incumbents Tottenham. So the Europa League is the only chance that the Spaniard has to bring home some silverware to the frustrated ranks of the Kop, who probably cannot wait to put this miserable season behind them. At the start of the season, Liverpool were one of the big four expected to challenge for the title, but have instead, found themselves falling short of the battle to make it into a top four finish.

Liverpool are in the semi finals of the Europa League, thanks to overturning a first leg defeat in the Quarter Finals against Benfica. In the competition, Liverpool have looked a better side at home than they have on their travels, having scored a 4-1 win over Benfica, and a 3-0 win over Lille along the way. Liverpool have had to take the long road to Madrid, much of which has been public, with Benitez complaining about the fixture not be rescheduled in light of the volcanic ash from Iceland disrupting air traffic. By train and road Liverpool have made it to the Spanish capital, and the only plus side to this could possibly the time spent bonding as a team. Benitez won’t be able to field his strongest side in Madrid, after the news broke that their star Spanish striker Fernando Torres will miss the rest of the season through injury, including the ties against his former club. The weight of the goalscoring responsibility, now falls on David Ngog, which will probably not give Liverpool fans much optimism if they are honest.

Atletico Madrid boss Sanchez Flores will still be aware that his team will be in for a tough encounter. Like their English opponents, Atletico fell from the Champions League group stage, finishing third in their group behind Chelsea and Porto. The fall back of entry in the Europa League has given them some hope of gaining something from the season, and in fact they are in line for a double after reaching the final of the Copa del Rey. They will miss their star player, as forward Sergio Aguero (who has been linked with Manchester United and Chelsea) is suspended for the first match. Madrid are mid table in La Liga, after a horrible start to the season which appeared as if all the world they would be mired in a relegation battle by this stage. But they have managed to turn things around, without looking particularly spectacular. All four of their last Europa League matches have ended in draws, but they have managed to scrape and battle their way through to the semi finals thanks to those all important away goals.

Atletico Madrid have only picked up one win in their last seven domestic matches, losing their last three straight. Not great form, and not a particularly great team, but Liverpool’s woes with injuries and less than ideal form themselves, should make this somewhat of an even contest. The Reds have won just two of their last five Premier League matches, but did hit three unanswered goals against West Ham on Monday which should give them a confidence boost. Atletico Madrid start the game on the back of a 2-1 defeat against Villareal. As with Fulham and Hamburg in the other Europa League semi final, this competition represents a big chance to end the season on some positive, as all teams are fairly mediocre in their respective leagues. Will it be an all English final in Hamburg for the final? Liverpool do not have a great away record this season, one of the major factors why they are struggling so much, and one good strong home performance from Atletico, could spell disaster for Benitez and his road weary Reds.

Atletico Madrid v Liverpool Betting Stats

Last 5 Match Goals
Atletico Madrid: 5 For, 7 Against
Liverpool: 9 For, 4 Against

Last 10 Match Form
Atletico Madrid: W2, D3, L5
Liverpool: W5, D2, L3

Win Percentage:
Atletico Madrid have a 50.0 win percentage at home
Liverpool have a 28.0 win percentage away from home

Match Prices
Atletico Madrid to win: 7/5 at Stan James
Draw: 23/10 at Bet365
Liverpool to win: 2/1 at Boylesports

Betting Advice: Neither team look as if they are going to set the world alight any time soon, so a draw is definitely favourable in this one. Liverpool would probably be very happy with a draw at this stage, and then take their chances back at Anfield. Liverpool should be good enough for a draw, and leaning either way on a 0 Asian Handicap should bring a fair price.
Atletico Madrid 0 Asian Handicap: 4/6 at Paddy Power