Europa League: West Ham, Brighton and Rangers eye last-16 spots as group winners
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Europa League betting tips and odds
The group stage of the Europa League ends on Thursday when West Ham, Brighton and Rangers hope to join Liverpool in the last 16.
The Hammers and the Seagulls are already assured of a place in the knockout round play-offs, but hope to skip that stage by finishing top of their groups.
Gers can either finish top, second or third ahead of their trip to Real Betis, so it remains to be seen which European competition they will be playing in next year.
We have Europa League betting tips from all four British clubs playing on Thursday which can be backed in an acca at 82/1.
West Ham v Freiburg (Thu, 20.00, TNT Sports 1)
Both teams are on 12 points at the top of Group A, but the Hammers’ victory against the Germans in October means they just need a draw to avoid an extra round in the knockout stage.
David Moyes’ side were thrashed 5-0 by Fulham at the weekend just three days after they had enjoyed a 2-1 comeback win at Tottenham, so hopefully that result in west London is just a blip.
All of Freiburg’s Europa League games have involved at least three goals which can be backed at 8/13, but we fancy a narrow win for West Ham similar to their 2-1 victory in Freiburg, who won both away games against Olympiacos and TSC.
Four of West Ham’s five matches in this competition have been won by one-goal margins and another looks plausible at 13/5 as the first of our Europa League betting tips.
Brighton v Marseille (Thu, 20.00, TNT Sports 2)
It’s a similar scenario in Group B where Brighton and Marseille are guaranteed a place in the knockout stage, but the Seagulls must win to secure top spot.
Joao Pedro’s 88th-minute penalty saw Roberto De Zerbi’s side overcome 2-0 half-time deficit to earn a 2-2 draw in the reverse fixture in Marseille, who are 15/4 underdogs to win on Thursday owing to a poor run on the road in Europe and domestically.
The French side finished third in Ligue 1 last season, but just one win in eight away games means they stand sixth in the current campaign.
Four of Marseille’s five Europa League matches have involved both teams scoring and at least four goals and with all 16 of Brighton’s Premier League games involving goals at both ends, it could be a thrilling night at the Amex Stadium.
With that in mind, both teams to score and +3.5 goals at 29/20 is the second leg of Thursday’s Europa League predictions.
Real Betis v Rangers (Thu, 20.00, TNT Sports 3)
Victory for Rangers would ensure top spot, but failure to pick up three points would see them drop into the Europa Conference League if Sparta Prague complete the double over Aris Limassol in Cyprus.
The Scottish giants surprisingly beat Betis 1-0 in Glasgow, but the Spaniards will be a different proposition at home where they are unbeaten in all competitions this season.
Betis drew with Real Madrid at the weekend, so it’s hardly surprising they are 4/5 favourites to beat Rangers who fought back to beat Dundee 3-1 at the weekend but have failed to win on the road in all four European matches this season, including their Champions League qualifiers.
All but one of Betis’ 10 home games this season have involved three or fewer goals, so a win that way at 13/8 catches the eye.
Union Saint-Gilloise v Liverpool (Thu, 17.45, TNT Sports 2)
The last of our Europa League betting tips is this encounter in Belgium which means very little to Liverpool who are already through as group winners, but Union Saint-Gilloise are still fighting for a spot in the Europa Conference League.
Reds manager Jurgen Klopp is likely to field his fringe players ahead of Saturday’s home clash with arch rivals Manchester United, so they possibly lack appeal at 7/5 for a fifth group victory.
A draw may be enough for the Belgians to drop into the third-tier competition, so a share of the spoils looks possible at 13/5 as our final selection.
A strong Liverpool team needed a stoppage-time goal from Diogo Jota to make the result safe in a 2-0 victory at Anfield, so a weaker team could be tested.
All odds and markets correct as of date of publication
