FENERBAHCE v STURM GRAZ
Thursday 3rd August 2017 – Kickoff: 2030hrs
Football – Europe – Europa League Betting Tips
The Europa League third round qualifying ties continue on Thursday night, and my first pick features Fenerbahce taking on Sturm Graz at their Ülker Stadyumu Fenerbahçe with the hosts holding a 2-1 advantage following last week’s win in Austria.
Fenerbahce qualified for the Europa League thanks to finishing in third place in last season’s Turkish Super Lig, and their pre-season warm-up matches and results included draws against Athletic Bilbao and Monaco, before they registered the first leg win against Sturm Graz.
Fenerbahce have lost just twice from their last 11 Europa League matches overall (which were both away from home at Manchester United and Krasnodar), while their home form has been impressive indeed, being unbeaten in their last nine.
Sturm Graz now have a difficult job ahead of them on Thursday night if they’re to progress into the play-offs as they look to overcome a hostile and partizan crowd in Turkey. That said, Sturm Graz come into this second leg in pretty good form as they’ve picked up four wins from their last five matches in all competitions.
The visitors have also registered back-to-back league wins in the new Austrian Bundesliga season with victories gained over St Polten and Austria Vienna, so confidence will still be reasonably high as they attempt to overcome this deficit.
But just two away wins from their last 11 on the road in the Europa League tells its own story, and Sturm Graz will need to cause an upset tonight if they’re to stay in this competition.
Pick: Fenerbahce to win @ 1.50 Betfair
