europa league betting

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!

There is a big night of action in Udinese v Celtic Europa League betting, as the group goes down to the wire. Celtic, who have managed only one win in the group stage so far, will now face their final test in order to make it through to the next round. The Bhoys simply need a win against Udinese, that is the simple formula for success for them. The Scottish side drew 1-1 at home against the Italians, and therefore, if they do win, they will finish level on points with Udinese, but will have a superior head to head record against them. So Celtic will reach the last 32 of the competition with a win on Thursday night. Celtic have managed just one point from their two away matches in the Europa League group stage so far though, losing against Atletico Madrid before holding on for a 1-1 draw against French side Rennes. Celtic’s only triumph so far, came on match day four, when they won at home against Rennes, to keep their hope alive, while Udinese was getting hammered by Atletico Madrid. But the Bhoys go into Udinese v Celtic Europa League betting on the back of a home defeat against Atletico on Match Day Five and now need to raise their game for one last, tough effort. A trip to Italy is never going to be a comfortable one, although the rails have just come off Udinese’s challenge over the past couple of matches. Celtic, who are trailing city rivals Rangers in the Scottish Premier League, are in pretty good form at the moment, winning their last six domestic matches, while Udinese are also going well in Serie A, currently tied for top spot.

Udinese are here because Arsenal knocked them out of the Champions League qualifiers, and after a strong start in their first three Europa League group matches, they have only managed one point from their last two games. The most recent being a 0-0 draw away in Rennes. The trouble for Celtic though, is that a draw on Thursday night would be enough for the Italians, who have won both of their home matches in the group so far. When the two sides met on match day two, Celtic took the lead from the penalty spot, before Udinese netted also from the spot with just two minutes to go. Udinese are a pretty strong side, and are good at home in the Europe. As for Celtic, well, their away form in Europe is pretty bad. Their only “win” was the default 3-0 victory handed to them after they had lost to Swiss side Sion in the qualification play offs, but who were then kicked out of the competition for fielding ineligible players. That “victory” as you will, is Celtic’s only win in their last nine road trips in Europe, and five of those nine have been defeats. To add more misery to your Udinese v Celtic Europa League betting prospects for the Scots, they have never won in Italy, having drawn two and lost six. Celtic’s over all record against Italian sides reads W5 D6 L7, but it is that away record which is worrying. So can Celtic pull of a historic win in continental Europe on Thursday night? A 1-0 win would be enough, they just simply have to get that victory or else they are out.

Udinese v Celtic Europa League betting odds
Udinese to win: 8/13 at Totesport
Draw: 3/1 at Stan James
Celtic to win: 11/2 at BetFair

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Birmingham v Maribor Europa League Betting on Thursday night, sees yet another British side trying to avoid exiting the competition early. The Blues don’t entirely have all of their fate in their own hands, as they need a win and a result in the other group match on Thursday night to go their way. Birmingham go into the match in third place, three points behind joint leaders Club Bruges and FC Braga. So, to start with Birmingham simply need a win to put themselves in with a chance, that is their starting point. In order for them to qualify though, they would need Portuguese side Braga to beat Club Bruges, because Birmingham have a better head to head record against the Belgians, but don’t have a superior one against the Portuguese. So if Club Bruges lose and Birmingham win, the Midlands side would edge through. However, a draw in the other match, or a win for Club Bruges would send Birmingham packing no matter what they do. So good indicators for Birmingham, is that they did beat Maribor in Slovenia back on Match Day Two. So there is hope that they can at least get the result they need at St Andrews on Thursday night, it doesn’t matter the margin of Birmingham’s victory, they just to win and hope for the best. The trouble is though, that Birmingham don’t have a great home record in the tournament so far, picking up a draw against Club Bruges and suffering a home defeat against Braga. Birmingham go into the match of an away defeat against Braga, but it is their two wins in their other away matches which have just about kept them alive. Now they are down to the wire though, and will be hoping that Braga can get revenge for a 2-1 home defeat against Bruges earlier in the group stage.

There is not a lot of history to go on between English and Slovenian side, Birmingham’s encounter against Maribor earlier in the group was only the third ever UEFA meeting between an English and Slovenian side. Birmingham have conceded five times in their two home matches in the group so far, and with Maribor firing in eleven goals so far, the Blues could be in for a tough match. However, the Slovenians have not managed to pick up an away win in their last four away matches winning three and drawing one. So that should give Birmingham a bit of hope. It has been a tough season for Birmingham in the Championship, sitting down in 13th position in the league, having won only two of their last eight matches in the league. They did win on the weekend to give themselves a boost of confidence. They need a big night on Thursday and some luck to go their way in Birmingham v Maribor Europa League Betting.

Birmingham v Maribor Europa League Betting Odds
Birmingham to win: 8/15 at Bet365
Draw: 3/1 at Totesport
Maribor: 13/2 at Victor Chandler

Online bookmaker BetFred have an online betting promotion running for this specific match. If home side Birmingham take the lead in the game, but fail to go on and win the match, then BetFred will refund all losing First Goalscorer, Last Goalscorer, Correct Score and Scorecast bets placed on the match. This provides some great coverage for your alternative market betting for Birmingham v Maribor. Highly popular online bookmaker BetFred offer a free £50 bet for new customers registering an account. The bookie will match the value of your first stake with a free bet, up to the maximum of £50

Shamrock Rovers v Tottenham Hotspur Europa League betting throws up a bit of a surprising situation. Harry Redknapp’s Spurs, for all their great work in the Premier League this season, are on the brink of exiting the Europa League. Their fate is largely out of their own hands and only have a slim chance of progressing through to the last 32 of the tournament. Spurs need to rattle off a big win, and even then they won’t be certain of progression. That is because they also need second placed Rubin Kazan to fail on Thursday night. So there future in the tournament doesn’t look to bright, but even if they fail to progress, you get the feeling that Harry Redknapp really wouldn’t mind all that much, as they have bigger fish to fry in challenging for the Premier League title. Spurs have fielded under strength sides throughout the tournament, so you can clearly see where the priorities of the club are. When the two sides met earlier in the group stage at White Hart Lane, it was Shamrock Rovers who took a surprise lead in the second half, before Spurs struck with three quick goals to take the victory. With another win against the Irish side, and defeat for Rubin Kazan, Spurs would edge through, as long as they can overcome the five goal deficient in the plus and minus stats in the group. That is the only way which the London club would edge through, after the head to head with Rubin is equal. You would think that there is an opportunity to go and run up a few goals against Shamrock for Spurs, as the Irish side have conceded fifteen goals in their five games. That’s averaging three against per match, and while that is a reasonable target for Spurs, they would need help from group leaders PAOK in beating Kazan well. Fortunately, what could work in Tottenham’s favour, is that PAOK have top spot in the group at stake against Rubin, and have home advantage on Thursday, so it could still work out for Tottenham.

Shamrock have won another Irish league title, but they are yet to pick up a point in their Europa League campaign. To their credit though, they have scored in four of their five matches so far, so something to consider for your Shamrock Rovers v Tottenham Hotspur Europa League betting. Their match against Spurs earlier in the group, was their first ever encounter against an English side. As for Spurs, they have played Irish opposition five times before, with four wins and one draw to their name. Over on Irish soil, Spurs have a W1 D1 L0 record, the draw coming against Dundalk back in the 1981 Cup Winners’ Cup. But Tottenham’s away form in Europe hasn’t been great, winning two, drawing two and losing two, and have only picked up one point away from home in the Europa League group stage so far. They earned a draw in Greece against PAOK, and then suffered a 1-0 reverse against Rubin Kazan in Russia. Shamrock’s previous home game ended in a 3-1 defeat against PAOK. So, a match that Spurs should probably win, the degree of it will probably depend on just what kind of side Harry Redknapp sends out to get the job done. They need a big win and a bit of luck to go their way from the other match.
Shamrock Rovers v Tottenham Hotspur Europa League betting odds
Shamrock to win:13/2 at Bet365
Draw: 7/2 at Totesport
Tottenham to win: 1/2 at Paddy Power

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Fulham v OB Odense Europa League betting simply need a point at Craven Cottage on Wednesday night to book their place in the last 32 of this year’s tournament. A loss for Martin Jol’s men in this final group match though, will be disastrous as it will send them packing from the competition at the expense of the Danes. Second spot in Group K is all that is up for stake here in this match, as Fulham are five points behind FC Twente heading into the match, and so just need to hold themselves steady to book passage through to the knockout stage. Fulham have not been quite as steady in the Premier League as we have come to know them for, and two away defeats in the group has left them reeling a bit and in a bit of precarious position. They were unlucky to lose in their match day five match away at FC Twente, conceding an 89th minute, but they will look back to their first away trip of the group, which was in Denmark where a brace from Andy Johnson secured a 2-0 win for Fulham. Now this is an all to play for match at Craven Cottage on Wednesday night, with the winner joining Dutch side Twente in the next round. Fulham secured a home draw against Twente in their first home match, and then followed that up with a 4-1 hammering of Wisla to keep themselves on track. So Fulham know what they need to do, but their away defeat against Swansea in the Premier League won’t have done their confidence too much good ahead of this one. Fulham are pretty reasonable at the back, they keep things tight, but they don’t find the back of the net often enough going forward. So they don’t have the attacking force to play their way out of trouble, or to squeeze through tight encounters often enough. With Bobby Zamora now touted as a January departure, Marin Jol needs a big team performance here in Fulham v OB Odense Europa League Betting.

But for your football betting on this one, you can look at the form of the Danish side against English opposition and it should help Fulham. The Danes have lost five of seven encounters against English opposition, and out of their three matches played on English soil, they have produced one draw and two defeats. So there is a good chance that Fulham should at least be able to hold on for a draw here. OB Odense beat Wisla away from home in their first road trip in the group, before losing 3-2 against FC Twente. You wonder what fight they will be able to put up, because this is a side which has lost all three of their home matches in the Europa League Group Stage so far. Interestingly though Odense are on a pattern of losing, winning, losing, winning, losing in their European away matches. So they could be due a win to keep their pattern going!. But realistically, you can also look to Fulham’s home form in Europe, which is pretty impressive. They haven’t lost a European match at Craven Cottage for 22 games now, and seventeen of those have been wins as well. So that should give the home fans a lot of confidence. Martin Jol’s men are also the only side to have come through from the first qualifying round of the competition to the group stage.

While Fulham aren’t a high scoring team, when Odense travel, there is usually goals in the match, so that is something to note for your Fulham v Odense BK Europa League betting. In the Danes’ last six away matches in Europe, there has been an average of over give goals per game.

Fulham v OB Odense Europa League Betting Odds
Fulham to win: 1/4 at Boylesports
Draw: 5/1 at Bet365
OB: 14/1 at Totesport

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Besiktas v Stoke Europa League betting goes on Wednesday night, as the final round of group matches in this year’s tournament starts. Stoke are already confirmed as qualified for the next round of the competition, it is all now a matter of where they finish. They hold a two point lead over Besiktas going into the his match, knowing that a draw will secure them top spot. So the most likely scenario from this outcome is that both of these sides are going to go through, it just a matter of jostling for position ahead of the round of the last 32, where the third placed teams from the Champions League group stage enter the fray. Stoke beat the Black Eagles of Besiktas at the Britannia earlier in the tournament, when Jon Walters netted a late penalty to give the home side the two points. That was the first ever meeting between the two sides, and with Stoke scoring an important win over Tottenham in the Premier League on the weekend, a run of three back to back wins now for the Potters, Tony Pulis’s men look to be in pretty good shape. It is just a matter of both sides holding their nerve really now on Wednesday night. Stoke will need that point to clinch top spot, and while second placed Besiktas are only three points ahead of Dynamo Kiev, the Turks hold a superior goal difference over the Ukrainians, being four goals to the good in that stat. So even if Besiktas were to drop three points, the chances are that they will squeeze their way through. But the Turks at home stand a good chance of picking something up.

Stoke’s encounter with Besiktas on Match Day of this season’s Europa League was the first time that they had encountered a Turkish side before. As for Besiktas, they have a W3 D3 L7 record against English sides. Of those matches, there have been two wins and five defeats on English soil for the Turks. However, they are in pretty good form at home and will give a good account of themselves in Stoke v Besiktas betting on Wednesday night. They have won their last three European games at home now, and not only that, in those three games they are averaging three goals a match. Besiktas have netted six goals in their two home matches in the Europa League group stage this season. As for Stoke, they haven’t lost in Europe now for eleven matches, producing seven wins in that run. They are a tough, physical side and are pretty tough to crack when they are on their game. In the group stage so far away from home, they drew against Dynamo Kiev and produced a narrow 2-1 win over Tel Aviv. But after showing some good resilience in their home encounter against Besiktas and with their up turn in form in the Premier League, seeing Stoke hold out for a draw is a plausible result for your Besiktas v Stoke Europa League betting.

Besiktas v Stoke Betting Odds
Besiktas to win: 5/6 at Paddy Power
Draw: 5/2 at Totesport
Stoke to win: 10/3 at Blue Square

Online bookmaker BetFred are running their great Double Delight Hattrick Heaven football betting promotion for his match, which should be pretty competitive. Back a winning First Goalscorer bet, and if that player who scores the opening goal goes on to net a second in the match, then the bookie will double your original First Goalscorer odds. If that same player scores a hat trick in the match as First Goalscorer, then the bookie will triple your original odds. So some great extra coverage for your betting there. Popular bookie BetFred offer a free £50 bet for new customers registering an account. The bookie will match the value of your first bet on a new account up to the maximum value of £50.

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

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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