Europa League

Manchester Untied v Ajax Europa League betting throws up an interesting couple of matches. The Red Devils are in this foreign territory of the Europa League after capitulating against FC Basel in their final group match of the Champions League. That defeat sent them down in to third place, out of the main event and now have to play for the scraps of European club football, the Europa League. They will square off against Dutch side Ajax, who were also dumped out of the Champions League. Ajax, who of course have a famous European history themselves, were undone on Match Day Six as well. They were holding second place ahead of French side Lyon, but lost 3-0 again Real Madrid, while Lyon were running riot with seven goals against Dynamo Kiev, which meant that the French just about scraped through on goal difference into second place over Ajax. A bit of a bitter way to bow out for the Dutch champions, but nevertheless, Ajax really failed to impress a lot of the time during their group matches. The form which they showed in their domestic league, certainly was not well translated over into the Champions League and they found themselves a little bit short.

With the experience of Manchester United in Europe during recent times, the Red Devils will be firm favourites to push on through this tie. The English Champions start their tie away from home, and this should be the toughest part of the test for them. United only managed one win away from Old Trafford in the Champions League during this term, and that was against outsiders Otelul Galati, and that took two penalty kicks from Wayne Rooney to see them through that tie. So it will be interesting to see how Sir Alex Ferguson approaches this tie? Will he throw out his strongest side, or just fixate on stopping Manchester City taking their Premier League crown from them? United were a little guilty it has to be said of not taking the group stage of the Champions League seriously enough. So now in the knockout stages of the Europa League tournament, it will be interesting to see what they do. Not too surprisingly though, even ahead of Manchester United v Ajax Europa League betting, the Red Devils have been installed as one of the favourites to win the tournament outright. That comes from experience, and remember they were the losing finalists in the Champions League last season.

The first leg is to be played in Holland on February 16^th, 2012, with the return leg at Old Trafford on February 23^rd. The last time the two sides met in Europe, it was back in the 1976/77 UEFA Cup which the Red Devils won 2-1 on aggregate.

Manchester United v Ajax Europa League Betting
To Qualify: Man Utd 4/11 at VC Bet, Ajax 11/4 at Stan James

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Well there are some tough fixtures ahead in Europa League betting for the three English clubs in the draw for the last 32. Transferring over from the Champions League come Manchester City and Manchester United, and they join Stoke City, the only sole English survivor from the Group Stage. We lost Spurs, Fulham and Birmingham, plus other Brits Celtic and Shamrock Rovers from that stage and so we plough on with the last 32, which, as UEFA have said, is getting “spicy” thanks to the big names coming over from the Champions League. Manchester United, in a rare Champions League group failure, have a tricky draw against Ajax, who also moved over from the Champions League. Manchester City, who failed to progress from the group stage at their first ever attempt, have to square off against the defending Europa League Champions FC Porto, while Stoke, for all of their great efforts in the group stage of the Europa League have been paired up with Valencia. The draw ahead for both the round of 32 and the last sixteen have been made, so you can plan a little forward for your Europa League betting, as the road map has kind of been laid out for you. How will the three English survivors fare in their quest for European glory? Here we will take a look at some of the man match ups in the Round of 32 for Europa League betting. There are great betting options already available, from Match Betting, To Qualify betting and of course trying to pick out the outright winner.

No great surprise that the two Manchester clubs are pretty much dominating the betting after joining the tournament. City are 5/1 favourites at Totesport, tracked closely by Manchester United at 7/1 with Bet365. You then have to look back at German side Schalke at 14/1 with Boylesports, Valencia also 14/1 with VC Bet and Atletico Madrid at 16/1 with Coral. Udinese back at 25/1 with Totesport look a very interesting outside bet as well.

Odds on an all Manchester Europa League Final? 14/1 at Paddy Power.

Round of 32 draw *Denotes Champions League participants

FC Porto* (POR) v Manchester City FC* (ENG)
Tough draw for Manchester City, who will start as favourites, but will also start away from home. Most of City’s troubles in the Champions League group stage came away from the Etihad Stadium. How much focus will they have on this tournament? They were favourites last season and failed, so will they have much more attention on the Premier League that this? Defending Champions Porto didn’t really turn up to the Champions League party, and you would still expect the power and class of City, especially with their depth in their squad to pull through this one. The money spent and the force which have been shown by Manchester City this season has been impressive and will make them one of the tournament favourites. Let’s not forget that they did beat Bayern Munich in their final group game, so the hint in there that they are growing in European experience and stature. Whether they go all the way or not, is purely dependent on how much boss Roberto Mancini decides to rotate his squad.

AFC Ajax* (NED) v Manchester United FC* (ENG)
A real classic draw, with two giants of European football who have great history. Certainly Manchester United have been carrying the modern traditions a lot better than Ajax in recent times, but both of these move over from the Champions League, where they failed. Manchester United haven’t always taken the group stage of the Champions League too seriously, usually getting through to the knockout stage at a canter, however, major failures this year at home in failing to beat Benfica and FC Basel, started unraveling their qualification threads. Losing against Basel on Match Day six was the final disaster for them and out they went. Ajax were a little unlucky to exit, which was all down to a remarkable finish by Lyon who hit seven goals in their final match against Dynamo Zagreb to beat Ajax on goal difference and steal second place. Truthfully, while Ajax have played some great open, powerful football domestically, it hasn’t worked so well in Europe and have been exposed. The experience of United should count for a huge amount, but again it will be down to just what importance Sir Alex Ferguson puts on the competition. If he treats the Europa League like he did the Champions League group stage, then they aren’t going to win it. Should get through this opening fixture though.

Stoke City FC (ENG) v Valencia CF* (ESP)
A great reward for Stoke City after they battled so well in the Europa League group stage. There have been signs of better things for Tony Pulis’s men this season, finally finding themselves a decent bit of form. They get a tough tie here against Valencia, who pushed Chelsea hard for a qualification spot in the Champions League. The big show of force by Chelsea at home against Valencia though highlighted the fact that the Spaniards can be beaten, but Stoke probably won’t be relishing the tough trip to mainland Europe. Valencia are a decent side and will look to take full advantage of playing at home second in this tie. The smart money really will be on the attacking power of Valencia here in your Europa League Betting, but you just can’t write Stoke off that easily. They know how to work hard for the ball, close opponents down and scrap for narrow wins. They won’t go down without a fight, and that is what will make this tie so very interesting!

S.S. Lazio (ITA) v Club Atlético de Madrid (ESP)
What a superb match up for your Europa League betting. This really should turn out to be the tie of the round. The feeling from Rome is that is has been a good draw for them, because they want to beat the best, while Atletico don’t seem to be too impressed. It was Diego Forlan inspired Ateltico Madrid who won the final a couple of season ago against Fulham, and they are one of the front runners to go all of the way again this time out. Lazio are serious contenders in the race for the Serie A title this season, while Atletico are floating around in the bottom half of La Liga in Spain. So Lazio look to be the stronger of the two sides here, but Atletico have a great recent history in the Europa League. This should be a fascinating match up for your Europa League Betting and the form of each club in their domestic leagues will be the key to unlocking this one between now and early next year when they meet up.

Udinese Calcio (ITA) v PAOK FC (GRE)
FC Lokomotiv Moskva (RUS) v Athletic Club (ESP)
FC Salzburg (AUT) v FC Metalist Kharkiv (UKR)
FC Rubin Kazan (RUS) v Olympiacos FC* (GRE)
AZ Alkmaar (NED) v RSC Anderlecht (BEL)
FC Steaua Bucureşti (ROU) v FC Twente (NED)
FC Viktoria Plzeň* (CZE) v FC Schalke 04 (GER)
Wisła Kraków (POL) v R. Standard de Liège (BEL)
SC Braga (POR) v Beşiktaş JK (TUR)²
Trabzonspor AŞ* (TUR) v PSV Eindhoven (NED)
Hannover 96 (GER) v Club Brugge KV (BEL)
Legia Warszawa (POL) v Sporting Clube de Portugal (POR)

Round of 16 draw
Salzburg/Metalist v Rubin/Olympiacos
Legia/Sporting v Porto/Manchester City
Steaua/Twente v Plzeň/Schalke
Wisła/Standard v Hannover/Club Brugge
Stoke/Valencia v Trabzonspor/PSV
AZ/Anderlecht v Udinese/PAOK
Lazio/Atlético v Braga/Beşiktaş
Ajax/Manchester United v Lokomotiv/Athletic

So some big European names involved in the last 32 of your Europa League betting. Online bookmaker Bet365 is always a great destination to head to for your football betting. All matches listed at Bet365 are covered by their 0-0 Bore Draw promotion. This means that when you place a pre-match Correct Score, Half Time/Full Time or Score Cast bet on any match, if that game ends in a 0-0 draw you will get your lost stakes back on those markets. The highly rated online bookmaker bet365 offer a tremendous welcome bonus for new customers registering an account. The bookie will match the value of your first deposit on a new account, up to a £200 free bet!

Online bookmaker BetFred have some good Europa League football betting promotions running for Thursday night. We see the clutch of British clubs step back into action, as places in the next round are up for grabs. Tottenham, Birmingham and Stoke all lead the way in their respective groups, while Celtic and Fulham need to do a little bit of catching up. It is to Craven Cottage we first go for a BetFred Europa League Money Back Special. Fulham host  Poland’s Wisla Krakow, needing points to keep them in the qualification race. Fulham suffered a 1-0 reverse out in Poland a couple of weeks ago and they need to redress that. They will be looking to striker Andy Johnson to fire them forward, and if Andrew Johnson scores the last goal of the game, then BetFred will refund all losing First Goalscorer, Last Goalscorer and Scorecast bets placed on the match. This provides some good coverage on your Europa League football betting on Thursday. The same offer is in place for Stoke who head to Israel to face Maccabi Tel Aviv. Stoke are looking to hold on to top spot in their group, and if Peter Crouch scores the last goal in that match, then BetFred will again refund losing First and Last Goalscorer, Correct Score and Scorecast bets placed on the match. The insurance coverage on this BetFred Money Back Special is up to a maximum of £500, so you have a great deal of room to work with, and it is worth taking the coverage.

Spurs face a long trip to Russia to face Rubin Kazan on Thursday, BetFred are running their Hattrick Heaven promotion for that one. Spurs top Group A, and after beating the Russians at White Hart Lane a couple of weeks ago, they will be looking for more of the same. Make a selection in the First Goalscorer market for the match and if the player you select opens the scoring and then goes on to score a second in the match, you will receive double your original odds. If that player nets a third goal in the match after opening the scoring, you would receive treble your original odds. Anyone who had taken Newcastle’s Demba Ba as First Goalscorer at BetFred for their recent game at Stoke, would have been paid out treble odds, as Ba buried a hat trick after scoring the game’s first goal. So a great offer and well worth having on your side if you are looking at First Goalscorer in the Spurs match.

Birmingham City host Club Bruges, which is a match between first and second in Group H respectively. A good win for Birmingham would put them in the driving seat for qualification. BetFred have taken a different approach for the Money Back Special on this one, because if the match ends in a 0-0 draw, then the bookie will pay out the refunds on First Goalscorer, Last Goalscorer, Scorecast and Correct Score bets. So again, more great coverage, and more of the same can be found for Celtic’s home match against French side Rennes. Celtic have picked up two draws so far in their group, but they really need a win. If their match against the French ends in a 1-1 draw, then BetFred will pay out the refunds on that match for losing First Goalscorer, Last Goalscorer, Correct Score and Scorecast bets. Celtic held out for a 1-1 draw in Rennes a couple of weeks ago, so could be great value insurance in your betting.

Highly rated online bookmaker BetFred have ran a wealth of great European football betting promotions this week, providing superb coverage on your betting. The bookie offers a free £50 bet as a sign up bonus for new customers registering an account with them. BetFred will match the value of your first stake on a new account with a free bet, up to the value of £50.

Rubin Kazan v Tottenham Hotspur Europa League Betting
Spurs, who top Group A of the Europa League by two points, have the chance to further distance themselves from the competition, as they head to Russia to face Rubin Kazan. Tottenham, who aren’t taking the tournament all that seriously at the moment, look as if they are going to be involved in the latter stages of the competition. Once they get this match out of the way, and Harry Redknapp won’t be too happy about a long trip to Russia for a Thursday night match, it should be plain sailing for them in closing out the group. Spurs scored a big (in terms of importance) 1-0 at White Hart Lane over Rubin Kazan on Match Day Three, which was the result that put them in the driving seat in the group. A draw out in Russia would not be too bad of a result for Spurs on Thursday night really. After opening with an away 0-0 draw against PAOK, and then back to back home wins over Shamrock Rovers and Rubin Kazan, Tottenham look good enough for a qualification spot. If they can steal a victory, then it would be a massive result in terms of clinching top spot. The Russians are a pretty decent team nonetheless. They have beaten Shamrock, but then were surprisingly held at home by PAOK before losing at White Hart Lane. They are always going to be a more difficult side at home to handle, and that is why, with Spurs sending out weakened side, a draw is a very probably result. Shamrock face off against PAOK still seeking their first point of the Group Stage.
Rubin Kazan 8/1, Draw 29/10, Tottenham 3/1 at Bet365
Shamrock 7/2, Draw 13/5, PAOK 4/5 at Stan James

Maccabi Tel Aviv v Stoke City Europa League Betting
Well, Stoke are running along nicely in Group E of the Europa League. They remain unbeaten after three matches and a win would see them favourites to qualify. After earning a good point away at Dynamo Kiev in their opener, Stoke followed that up with home wins over Besiktas and Maccabi Tel Aviv. Tony Pulis’s men crushed the Israelis 3-0 on Match Day Three at the Britannia Stadium and will be favourites to sneak a win on Thursday. Tel Aviv have picked up just one point so far in their three matches and have leaked nine goals, which is a good sign for Stoke. Away matches in Europe are never comfortable affairs, and with Stoke crashing heavily against Newcastle in the Premier League on Monday night, Pulis needs to get things a bit tighter. Stoke are generally a tough side to break down, but they have been just a little more unpredictable than they have been over the past couple of season. They haven’t a great deal of firepower, so with them having put three past the Israelis a couple of weeks ago, they should be in good standing. Worst case scenario should see Stoke picking up just a draw, which wouldn’t be a disaster. But they really need the three points, just to keep Dynamo Kiev off their backs for a little bit, as the Russians are just two points behind then in second place. Stoke will be hoping for a win, and for Besiktas to upset Kiev, giving the English side a very commanding position.
Maccabi Tel Aviv 2/1, Draw 12/5, Stoke 13/8 at SkyBet

Birmingham v Club Bruges Europa League Betting
Birmingham join the club of English teams sitting atop of their Europa League group heading into Match Day Four. The Blues have won two of their three matches so far, interestingly enough, both away from home. They started off their campaign with a crushing 3-1 home defeat against last year’s losing finalists Braga, but Birmingham responded really well in Group H, grinding wins out over Maribor and Club Bruges away from home. So now it is back to St Andrews as Birmingham face Club Bruges again. They should be able to take a lot of heart from their 2-1 victory in Belgium a couple of weeks ago, and if they can consolidate that with another win, it would really put them in the driving seat in the group, as they are level on 6 points with Bruges. So a big chance for Birmingham to take a huge initiative here, and they still have a tricky match in Portugal against Braga to come, so they need to take advantage of this home match. No reason, on the evidence of Match Day Three why they can’t do the same at home. Birmingham haven’t lost at home in the Championship this season, so they should be able to make the most of Thursday’s match. Club Bruges did beat Braga on Match Day Two, so they can pose a threat, but you would expect Birmingham to back up their win last time out with a home victory. If they do that, and Maribor can beat Braga, it would be a very successful night for Birmingham.
Birmingham 7/5, Draw 12/5, Club Bruges 9/4 at Bet365

Celtic v Rennes Europa League Betting
Well Celtic really need to rattle out a win here before things start getting to desperate for them. The Scottish side are sat on just two points from their first three matches, having picked up two draws. After losing to Atletico in their opening match, to their credit, Celtic earned a good 1-1 draw at home against Udinese, and then away against French side Rennes. But they need to find a way to turn those draws into wins, and now, with home advantage on Thursday night against Rennes, they need to jump all over this opportunity. Celtic are struggling for  goals a bit, and heading into the match, they are five points behind leaders Udinese, and two back of second placed Atletico Madrid. Regardless of what happens between Udinese and Madrid, Celtic need a win to keep themselves in contention. They still have two tough games after this to come against the Italians and the Spaniards, so if they don’t make their mark against Rennes, who are in exactly the same position as Celtic, we are not likely to see them in the next round. Celtic are trailing Rangers badly in the Scottish Premier Division, a massive twelve points behind after just a dozen games, and they find themselves in third place with just one win in their last four matches. Need more than just another draw.
Celtic 7/5, Draw 12/5, Rennes 11/5 at Victor Chandler

Fulham v Wisla Krakow Europa League Betting
The men from Craven Cottage are the only English side contesting the Europa League this season, not sitting on top of their group. They are sitting in second place after losing away in Poland against Wisla on match Day Three. That really was a bit of a dent for Martin Jol’s men, who had started the group off with a draw and a win. Fulham, who have found wins hard to come by in the Premier League could really do with pulling out of the bag here. They trail leaders FC Twente by three points going into this match, so if the Dutch side win and Fulham don’t, the Londoners will have a tough time taking top spot. Fulham need to win this and then hope to beat Twente when they meet again. But this is a good group, as both Odense and Wisla are both in with a chance of qualifying. The Polish side will be buoyed by their win over Fulham a couple of weeks ago, as they had lost their two openers. Really, Fulham are a better side than Odense and Wisla, they just need to show it on the pitch. Fulham have been struggling for goals, but just grinding out a win here, however it comes, will be important for their hopes of getting out of the Group Stage.
Fulham 4/11, Draw 4/1, Wisla Krakow 19/2 at Boylesports

Online bookmaker Victor Chandler have a great football betting promotion which you may want to look at for your Europa League betting. When you build a five fold (or greater) football accumulator (on a win/draw/win market), if your bet loses because just one of your selections fail, then you will get a lost stake refund. It cushions the blow a bit if your accumulator fails by just one leg, which is always harsh. At least insurance will soften the blow a bit. Popular online bookmaker, Victor Chandler offer a free £25 bet as a sign up bonus for new customers. The bookie will match the value of your first stake on a new account, up to the value of £25!

Club Bruges v Birmingham City
Group H Standings: Club Brugge pts, Braga 3pts, Birmingham 3pts, Maribor 0pts
Birmingham, with their away win in Slovenia on Match Day two, kept themselves in the hunt for a qualification place from Group H of the Europa League. The Blues had suffered a harsh 3-1 home defeat in their first match against last year’s losing finalists Braga, so the response against Maribor was pretty good. Birmingham now head off to face group leaders Club Brugge in Belgium, knowing that a defeat, and an expected win for Braga against bottom side Maribor, will leave the Midlands club reeling a bit. But Birmingham have picked up their domestic form a little bit winning their last two league matches in the Championship, but are still down in 15th place. They beat Leicester 2-0 on the weekend to take some confidence to Brussels with them. Club Brugge are going along nicely in their domestic league, having not lost a game in their opening ten fixtures and are averaging two goals a game. With a 2-0 opening win against Maribor and then an impressive away win in Portugal against Braga, Brugge are looking a bit stronger than many will have predicted. This will be a tough away test for Birmingham, but they really need to come away with at least a point to keep in the hunt. The Belgians are favourite to take three points though.
Club Brugge 10/11, Draw 11/4, Birmingham 18/5 at Victor Chandler

Rennes v Celtic
Group I Standings: Atletico Madrid 4pts, Udinese 4pts, Rennes 1pt, Celtic 1pt
After having been given a reprieve to stay in the competition, Celtic have not made the most of their second chance. The Glasgow club were knocked out in the qualification play offs, but were let back into the tournament because their opponents field an ineligible player. To be fair, Celtic were drawn in one of the tougher groups in the Europa League, having to go up against Atletico Madrid, Udinese and French side Rennes. Celtic lost 2-0 away in Madrid in their opener, and then could only manage a 1-1 draw back at home against  Italians Udinese. Which means that as they are only on one point so far, they need a win to get their qualification hopes rolling. Rennes though are a pretty decent side, sitting 5th in the French domestic league, and with Celtic already ten points behind rivals Rangers in the Scottish Premier league after three defeats in ten, there is much improvement needed by the Scots. They go into the fixture in France on the back of a 3-3 draw away at Kilmarnock, while Rennes won 2-1 at home against Lorient. The French side are pretty strong going forward, but have only managed a point as well in the group. They lost away at Udinese before earning a good home draw against Atletico Madrid. So both Rennes and Celtic really need to gun for a win here to keep in touch with the top. The French side do look a little bit stronger though, and with home advantage are favourites.
Rennes 8/11, Draw 11/4, Celtic 22/5 at Bet365

Wisla Krakow v Fulham
Group K Standings: FC Twente 4pts, Fulham 4pts, Odense 3pts, Krakow 0pts
Fulham could do with a win here, to keep up the charge for a place in the next round. This is a pretty close group, with Fulham earning a draw against Twente, and then winning away in Denmark against Odense on Match Day Two. This match will take the Londoners to the half way stage, with the relative comfort that they will still have two home matches out of the final three to come. So it is important to pick up three points for Martin Jol and his men on Thursday. They travel to Poland to face the bottom side in the group, and with Fulham’s great play in Europa over the past couple of season’s you would expect them to come away with a win. Their Premier League form has been nothing to write home about though this season, and they suffered their third defeat in eight games, as they went down 2-0 away at Stoke on the weekend. Fulham have picked up just one win so far this season in the Premier League, but they do play good football when they get going, and they always seem to keep good European performances in reserve. Krakow, who have conceded seven goals in their opening two matches, should really not offer too much to the class and experience which Fulham can deliver.
Wisla Krakow 11/4, Draw 12/5, Fulham 15/13 at William Hill

PAOK Salonika v Shamrock Rovers
Group A Standings: Rubin Kazan 4pts, Spurs 4pts, PAOK 2pts, Shamrock Rovers 0pts
This match up is in Tottenham’s group of the Europa League, where the Irish side have yet to pick up a point. They did famously take the lead at White Hart Lane against a second string Spurs side, but still ended up on the losing end of a 3-1 defeat. Another loss here would put them as firm favourites to finish Group A with the wooden spoon, as PAOK would pull five points clear of them. Having already conceded six goals in their two Europa League matches, it could be a tough night against for Shamrock Rovers. Greek side PAOK have earned themselves two draws against Rubin Kazan and Tottenham, and therefore should be favourites to take all three points at home in Salonika against Shamrock. Really don’t see anything other than a home win unfortunately, and PAOK have a lot to play for, because if there is a loser in the Spurs v Rubin Kazan match, PAOK would leap frog those losers into second place in Group A.
PAOK 1/4, Draw 5/1, Shamrock 14/1 at SkyBet

Stoke v Maccabi Tel Aviv
Group E Standings: Stoke 4pts, Besiktas 3pts, Dynamo Kiev 2pts, Maccabi Tel Aviv 1pt
Stoke can be pretty pleased with their Europa  League performances heading into the halfway stage. If they pick up a win against bottom side Maccabi Tel Aviv on Thursday, they will be in a pretty strong position at half way. Their big result was a battling 1-1 draw away in the Ukraine against Kiev, and Tony Pulis’ men were strong enough to back it up with a home win over Turkish side Besiktas. Stoke look as strong as ever at home this season, and really do not give all that much away. They beat Fulham at the Britannia Stadium on the weekend, and are sitting seventh in the Premier League. They do need to find a few more goals in their game though, as that is really the area which may let them down at the end of the day. However, the home fixture against the Israeli’s should afford them the chance to bag another three points. Never expecting goal fests from Stoke, so would look for a narrow win for them in your betting. Tel Aviv were thumped 5-1 by Besiktas in their first match, but then scored a home tie against Kiev, so a mixed back from them. Stoke should be physically strong enough though to record a win to keep them in control in the group.
Stoke 1/2, Draw 10/3, Maccabi Tel Aviv 15/2 at Stan James

Tottenham Hotspur v Rubin Kazan
Group A Standings: Rubin Kazan 4pts, Spurs 4pts, PAOK 2pts, Shamrock Rovers 0pts
Bit night for Spurs in the Europa League, as they can take firm command of the group with a win against Russians. Both Spurs and Rubin Kazan have earned themselves four points from their opening matches, Spurs drawing 0-0 at PAOK, and then running out 3-1 winners at home over Shamrock Rovers. Rubin hit a 3-0 win against Shamrock Rovers before drawing with PAOK as well, so they and Spurs are trading evenly. Spurs should have the slight advantage as they kick off at home here, but boss Harry Redknapp has made no secret of his frustrations about the tournament, how much of distraction it is, and has used back up players predominantly instead of his first teamers. A win here though is quite important if they want to progress, so he may be tempted to put out a stronger side against their strongest opposition in the group. He probably won’t though, trusting his youngsters instead, because Spurs want Premier League position over Europa League success, which is understandable. Spurs come in on the back of a 2-2 draw with Newcastle on the weekend in the Premier League and will start as favourites.
Spurs 7/10, Draw 11/4, Rubin Kazan 19/4 at Bet365

Europa League Outright Winner Odds
Tottenham: 11/1 at Bet365
Paris Saint Germain: 11/1 at Bet365
Atletico Madrid: 11/1 at SportingBet
Schalke: 18/1 at SportingBet
Bilbao: 19/1 at Bwin
Eindhoven: 20/1 at Bet365

Wednesday 19th October 2011

European Champions League

Chelsea v Genk

Chelsea are hitting form at just the right time after a less than impressive beginning to the season, they’ll be looking to continue it against Genk in the Champions League.

Andre Villas-Boas is starting to stamp his authority on Chelsea after arriving in the summer. The shape looks a lot better than before, players who were out of form have been given a new lease of life and it’s resulting in improved performances and results on the park. Saturday’s 3-1 victory over Everton in the Premier League was further proof that the Blue’s are heading in the right direction. Despite losing to Manchester United last months, Chelsea find themselves in the top three and just a three points off Man City at the top of the table. What will be especially pleasing for the manager as well as the support, is that they look more threatening and are scoring a lot more goals now compared to both the start of the season, and the end of last season. 12 goals in their last three league games is good by anyone’s standards, and the goals are coming from all over the pitch as well.

Genk have done well to qualify for the Champions League but their participation in Europe’s Premier competition looks as though it’s taking a toll on their domestic form. Despite finishing a close second in the league last season, they find themselves in mid-table after 10 games, winning just three of them. It’s not a surprise as teams who do not compete in European competition regularly often suffer as a result of their success in a previous season. The challenge is not just how you compete against Europe’s best, but how you manage a smaller a squad to challenge on all front’s. Another loss, this time way to Lokeren on Saturday means they have lost their last three games in all competitions and without a win in their last four.

Chelsea have four points from their first two matches but it really should have been six as they had so many chances in Valencia last matchday. A late penalty punished them and prevented them from having a 100% record going into their second home game of the campaign. The opening matchday saw them eventually breakdown Bayer Leverkusen after a stubborn first hald display from the German’s.

Genk are off the mark in their second season competing in the Champions League group stages. A draw with Valencia on matchday one was followed by a 2-0 loss to Leverkusen in Germany. Their first experience was back in 2002 when they amassed four points with four draws so they are capable of holding their own. This season’s performances are also testament to how hard they can be to breakdown as Leverkusen only settled the match in the dying moments.

As much as Genk may be difficult to get through, they face their stiffest test of their campaign when they travel to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday. It will not be a surprise if they adopt a defensive approach seeing as many teams often do that when travelling to a better quality of opposition, especially in Europe. With that in mind they may fail to pose much of a threat going forward so the 8/11 available with Stan James for Chelsea to win without conceding is definitely of interest. Another bet which may be worth considering is for Chelsea’s Fernando Torres to score at anytime during the contest. Torres is serving a domestic ban after being sent off against Swansea so it’s likely he’ll get the nod to keep his fitness up. He’s a best priced 5/6 with Boylesports.

My Selections: Chelsea to win keeping a clean sheet at a best priced 8/11 (Stan James)

Fernando Torres to score anytime at a best priced 5/6 (Boylesports)

Thursday 20th October 2011

Europa League

Rennes v Celtic

Having dropped more points in the league Celtic return to European action in search of their first win in the competition when travelling to France to take on Rennes.

Rennes have started the season steadily enough sitting in seventh position at the time of writing. Two defeats from their opening nine matches is evidence of how hard they are to beat which is further emphasised by the fact they lost just four times at home last season and after their opening four games at the Route De Lorient they have yet to taste defeat – winning one and drawing the other three. After finishing sixth, it was the first time in three years that they qualified for a European competition so a lot of the players are testing new waters. Their opening two group matches have been close fought encounters with Udinese and Atletico Madrid. As it is, they have gained just one point from a possible six but there are signs of encouragment for the French team heading into the round three match against Celtic.

Celtic have let readers of this column down twice in consecutive weeks with their lacklustre displays in the league. Only three late goals prevented them from losing their fourth game of the season on Saturday but the signs are there that all is not well at Parkhead. Their form in Europe has been patchy to say the least as they got through the backdoor initially after losing to Sion in the qualifiers only for the Swiss side to be thrown out as they fielded inelegible players. A loss to Atletico Madrid was followed by a draw with an understrength Udinese side last time. Celtic do have to overcome a horrific away record in Europe if they are to get anything out of Thursday’s match. A win in Moscow against Dinamo in 2009 was their only win in 31 European away games.

Rennes have won just once if their last six games in all competitions before hosting Lorient in Ligue 1 on Sunday evening so their form is not great either. Yann M’Vila
will once again be a big player for them as the French internationalist will look to dictate play from deep in the midfield. Fresh from helping his country qualify for Euro 2012, M’Vila is Rennes most impressive player and looks destined for bigger things in the future.

Whichever way you look at it when it comes to previewing this match, you cannot ignore Celtic’s deplorable away record in Europe. From my experience, bookmakers can often do this however, and the prices on Celtic’s opposition are often generous because of the history the Glasgow club have in European competition. I think that is the case once again as the price on a home win is 8/11 which looks too big to ignore, especially with how frail Celtic are at the back and the lack of confidence amongst the players as well as the supporters.

Having seen a lot of Celtic in recent weeks both at home and abroad, there is only one bet I could suggest and it’s another loss for Neil Lennon’s men on the road in Europe.

My Selections: Stade Rennes to beat Celtic

Best odds: 8/11 available with William Hill

The strong British presence in the Europa League has caused a clash in the play off stage as the teams vie for a place in the Group Stage. Tottenham Hotspur will square off against Scottish Premier League side Hearts for a place in the competition proper. After tasting the highs of Champions League football last season and impressing many, Tottenham have come back down to earth with a bump and now have to negotiate their way through qualifying for UEFA’s second tier tournament. Spurs boss Harry Redknapp is a little concerned that endeavours in the prolonged tournament is going to take away a lot from their challenge in the Premier League. So it will be interesting to see how Tottenham do this year. They surely won’t pass up the chance of silverware, as they will be one of the front runners to take the Europa League title this year.

Last season’s defeat FA Cup finalists Stoke City, making their foray into the Europa League, scored a great victory over Croatian Hajduk Split to move into the final play off round. Tony Pulis now takes his men on to face FC Thun from Switzerland for a place in the main stage of the competition. Also joining Stoke in the final play off round, is Fulham who safety negotiated their way past RNK Split this week. The Craven Cottage crew, now under the guidance of Martin Jol, will face a long trip to the Ukraine as they take on Dnipro. Birmingham City, who were relegated but made their way to the Europa League after winning the Carling Cup will take on Nacional from Portugal. There were worries that Birmingham’s dire financial situation would prevent them from playing in the Europa League, but they were granted licence to do so by UEFA. Glasgow Rangers will also be putting in an appearance in the Europa League Play Off draw, as they face Maribor from Slovenia, while Scottish Premier League rivals Celtic have a trip to Switzerland to battle it out with Sion. Ireland will be represented by Shamrock Rovers as they face Partizan.

So there are huge British football betting opportunities for you in the Europa League at the moment. Sadly we will have to lose at least one British side with the interesting Tottenham v Hearts clash on the cards. The Europa League is a long test of endurance over the season, but many are fancying Tottenham to do the business and they are the favourites out of the British entrants to lift the trophy this year. But the stiffest opposition in the way will come from the Spaniards Sevilla and Atletico Madrid. We will present the latest outright Europa League betting odds below, but remember that third placed teams from the Champions League group stage join the competition at a later stage as well.

Europa League Winner Odds
Sevilla: 12/1 at SkyBet
Atletico Madrid: 14/1 at Boylesports
Paris St Germain: 14/1 at Totesport
Tottenham: 14/1 at Blue Square
Roma: 16/1 at Paddy Power
Lazio: 20/1 at Stan James

Other British Europa League Winner Odds
Fulham: 40/1 at SkyBet
Celtic: 66/1 at Victor Chandler
Stoke City: 100/1 at Victor Chandler
Hearts: 150/1 at Totesport
Birmingham City: 150/1 at Paddy Power

Europa League Play Off Draw involving British Clubs
Hearts v Tottenham
Maribor v Rangers
Dnipro v Fulham
Sion v Celtic
Nacional v Birmingham
FC Thun v Stoke
Shamrock Rovers v Partizan
 

Manchester City will look to put and end to their Greek adventures on Thursday, as they face Aris in the second leg of their Europa League tie, with a place in the last sixteen at stake. The two sides go into the match on parity, after both had failed to make the most of limited chances out in Greece last week. Now the City of Manchester Stadium should be witness to the English side progression. City have never hosted a Greek side in Europe before, so while that is a first, Aris have had some experience against English sides. The Greeks have a W1 D3 L2 record against English clubs, but on the road, they hold a W0 D1 L2 on English soil, so the ball is firmly in the court of Manchester City. City are one of the favourites to win the Europa League this season, and are currently on a run of ten unbeaten matches at home in European fixtures. It wasn’t too much surprise that Aris held on for a draw at home in the first leg really, because that continued their 40 year unbeaten home run in European competition, which is pretty amazing. That record now stands at 25 unbeaten matches (13 wins and 12 draws) at home in Europe. City do have a few injury problems with James Milner and Adam Johnson a couple of key names absent, but striker Mario Balotelli looks fit and ready to after a head injury in the FA Cup last weekend.

The Greeks may prove to be more stubborn than City would enjoy, and Roberto Mancini again may rotate the squad after a successful 5 goal haul over Notts County in the FA Cup on the weekend. You would expect the class of City to come through this test though, especially at home. It is probably only going to take a bit of patience, something which City are very good at, and this could play out to a 1-0 win, which would of course suit the home. There is a trend with that result, because Aris have lost two away matches in the tournament this year, both times losing by a 1 goal margin. You don’t see the Greeks busting out and scoring more than one goal, so a 2-1 City winning scoreline would be at the top end of that streak. Probably not going to be a rip-roaring atmospheric encounter, because the Greeks will want to hang on for as long as they can and hit City with an away goal on the break. Aris have the ability to deep dig for a draw here actually, and looking over the stats in the Europa League this season, there isn’t too much to chose between them and City. City have scored 11 and Aris have scored 7 in the Europa League this season, the two sides have had just about the same amount of shots on target, about the same amount of corners and attempts off target, but there has been a lot more ill discipline coming form the Greeks in terms of Yellow Cards and with the amount of fouls committed. The winners of this tie will move on to face the winner of Besiktas and Dynamo Kiev in the last 16.

Manchester City to win: 2/9 at SkyBet
Draw: 11/2 at Bet365
Aris Salonica to win: 14/1 at William Hill

Liverpool have drawn Czech side Sparta Prague in the knockout stage of the Europa League. The three time UEFA Cup winners progressed through their group with out any great flair or excitement and will now face a tough test against Sparta. This is taking place in the round of 32, into which has come all of the third placed teams from the Champions League group stage, including Scottish Champions Rangers. As well as the draw for the Round of 32, the draw for the Round of 16 has also been made, and if Liverpool progress past Sparta, then they will face either Braga (the Portuguese side which beat Arsenal in the group stage of the Champions League) or Lech Poznan, who scored a triumph over Manchester City in the Europa League group match. As for Roberto Mancini and Manchester City , they have drawn Greek side Aris Thessaloniki in the round of 32, and should they progress through that, then they will face either Besiktas or Dynamo Kiev. You look at the list of teams in the Europa League and see some tricky ties, but nothing really which Manchester City should not be able to handle. They remain one of the strong outright bets to win the tournament, but there are a couple of quality, stand out teams to watch out for. Rangers go up against Sporting Lisbon in their tie.

Zenit St Petersburg were in blistering form in the group stage, winning all six matches and averaging three goals a game. Sevilla, and the winner of Napoli v Villarreal should post big threats, along with Spartak Moscow and Ajax. There teams which have come in from the Champions League will make a good bet really, as they are dropping down a level, and most of the first legs are scheduled in for February 17th with the return legs on the 24th. There are a couple of exceptions though, with Manchester City’s first leg being played on February 15th. The final of the Europa League will be played at the Dublin Arena on May 18th. 

Europa League Outright Odds

Manchester City: 4/1 at SkyBet
Liverpool: 8/1 at Extrabet
Zenit St Petersburg: 9/1 at Boylesports
FC Porto: 12/1 at Victor Chandler
CSKA Moscow: 16/1 at Bet365
Villarreal: 19/1 at Unibet

Manchester City fans will hope that all the fuss and bother over Carlos Tevez and his transfer saga will not affect the team’s performance on the pitch. While City are sitting top of Group A heading into the final round of matches on the Thursday, there is still the possibility that they could miss out on qualifying in first place. The first thing they need to do is avoid defeat against Juventus, and then hope that Lech Poznan don’t run up a big winning margin against bottom side Salzburg. A point may be enough for City, who held the Italians to a draw back at the City of Manchester Stadium. Despite Tevez’s transfer request, the club appear set in their ways, refusing to sell him, forcing him to stay at the club. There could be a big legal wrangling if Tevez simply refuses to play for the club any more. However, his agent has insisted that the Argentinean will not refuse to play for City, and will pull on the shirt if he is picked. Well, he is not going to be picked for the game at the San Siro, as Roberto Mancini will turn instead to some of his fringe players, with City already through to the knockout stages. There is nothing at stake really in the match, and so there is no need to throw out the starting eleven. That will also mean that striker Mario Balotelli, who received racial abuse when playing for Inter Milan at Juventus last year, will also stay at home. With Tevez and Balotelli missing, it really does highlight one of the problems that City have. They simply don’t have great firepower without Tevez in particular.

Juventus to win: 6/4 at Bet365
Draw: 12/5 at Victor Chandler
Manchester City to win: 15/8 at Boylesports

Emmanuel Adebayor and Jo look unlikely to run up a hatful of goals against anyone really. But it is a chance for the rest of the City squad to get some first team action and it should be a pretty entertaining encounter nonetheless, as Juve are a good side, sitting second in Serie A. Quite how their form has not translated into their European quest, is a bit of a mystery really. Juventus are on a bizarre run of having drawn all five of their Europa League group matches so far. That has left them three points behind Lech Poznan, and out of the running. They will simply look to sign out of the competition with a win, something which has proven elusive against what has to arguably be called, weaker opposition. This match may simply fade into the shadows when compared to the rumours over Tevez, and as he won’t be playing, there simply won’t be the focus there. If he was turning out against Juventus, the whole world would have been watching. His transfer request though will have nothing to do with him sitting out, as if he is going to play, then he will have more important things to participate in, namely the Premier League on the weekend. City need to hang on to a draw to seal top spot, but they have qualified as expected. Juventus was supposed to be the team joining them in the knockout stage, but that will be Lech Poznan, who inflicted a defeat on City in the group matches.

When the two sides met at Eastlands on Match Day Two, it was Adam Johnson who sealed a point in a 1-1 draw, after Juventus had gone ahead through Vincenzo Iaquinta. The only time that City have travelled to Turin to face Juventus, was back in the 1976/77 EUFA Cup, which ended in a 2-0 defeat for the visitors. Juventus went on to win the tournament that year, beating Manchester United along the way. On a personal note, Mancini doesn’t have a spectacular record in his managerial career, losing five of twelve matches played and winning just three. As there is little importance on this match and with City (and potentially Juventus) sending out second string teams, your football betting on this Europa League tie will best be covered by some kind of draw. Juventus are the draw specialists, and with the two having already drawn when the full sides were out, it makes a lot of sense. There is unlikely to be enough urgency from either side really to push on too hard to worry about winning it. A draw will be enough for City to take top spot, and that is usually the way the dice roll in these situations.

Online bookmaker promotion: Bookie 888Sport are covering this featured match with their 88th minute goal promotion. If there is a goal scored after the 88th minute, which ruins your bet on the match, the online bookmaker will reward you with a free bet up to £50 (matching the value of your stake). This applies to the markets of To Win, Scorecast and Last Goalscorer markets. This is some good coverage on your normal betting, just in case there is a bit of late drama. 888Sport also offer up a free No Loss First Bet on new accounts. Simply place your first bet with the bookie, and if that bet happens to lose, 888Sport will give you your lost stake back as a free bet, up to the value of £20, so you really have nothing to lose!