Wednesday’s Europa League Betting Tips: We preview tonight’s ties
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Manchester United are in pole position to make it through to the quarter-finals of the Europa League this evening as the competition returns after a four-and-a-half month break.
The Red Devils hold a 5-0 advantage over Austrian opponents LASK and know that only a spectacular turn of events will prevent them meeting FC Copenhagen or Istanbul Basaksehir in Germany next week.
We’re champing at the bit for the return of European football, and we’ve previewed each of tonight’s last-16 ties in our Europa League Betting Tips.
FC Copenhagen v Istanbul Basaksehir, 17:55
There’s nothing to split these two following a 1-1 draw in Turkey back in March, although we think their respective confidence levels could go some way to determining how this tie finishes.
Copenhagen threw away the chance to win their domestic league after failing to win six of their last eight matches, while Basaksehir won five of their eight remaining fixtures after the restart to claim a first Turkish title.
The visitors are 17/10 to win inside 90 minutes or a much shorter 2/7 to qualify. Whatever the outcome, there should be goals, with both sides looking potent going forward.
In 20 matches combined since the restart, matches involving Copenhagen and Basaksehir have produced 56 goals in total. We go 10/11 for Both Teams to Score in the Danish capital.
Shakhtar Donetsk v Vfl Wolfsburg, 17:55
Wolfsburg have it all to do in Ukraine as Oliver Glasner’s men bid to overturn a 1-2 deficit against a Shakhtar side who have lost just two of their last 25 Europa League home matches.
It’s a tough ask, and it’s not helped by the hosts being in red-hot form since the restart. Luis Castro’s men are unbeaten in nine matches, winning seven and scoring two or more in all but one of those fixtures.
Our traders make Shakhtar the 17/10 favourites to claim victory inside 90 minutes, while there’s 14/5 about them to Win with Over 2.5 Goals in the match.
Inter Milan v Getafe, 20:00
The enforced break was good for some sides, and less for others. It’s fair to say Getafe fall into the latter camp having won just once since La Liga resumed in mid-June.
That doesn’t bode well against an Inter Milan team whose strong end to the season saw them beat Napoli and Atalanta to finish just a point behind Juventus.
Antonio Conte’s men are 4/5 to win the match in normal time, while there’s 13/8 about them to keep a clean sheet for the fifth match in a row and Win to Nil.
Romelu Lukaku is the obvious goalscoring interest at 7/5, although Danilo D’Ambrosio’s two-in-two to end the season make him an interesting outsider at 11/2.
Man United v LASK, 20:00
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer can afford to name a second-string side for this dead-rubber at home to LASK having wrapped up the tie with a 5-0 victory when the teams met back in March.
United’s stars were running on empty towards the end of the Premier League season and should appreciate the extended rest ahead of the quarter-finals in Germany next week.
Nevertheless, the fringe players will be eager to impress and earn a spot in the team and it’s difficult to see anything other than a run-of-the-mill home win as a result.
The Red Devils are 2/9 to win inside 90 minutes, and while their second XI should have no problem dispatching the Austrian minnows, it probably won’t be as convincing as the first-leg result.
We go 24/5 about a comfortable 2-0 home win, while Odion Igahlo is 13/5 to add to his Europa League tally by scoring the opener at Old Trafford.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
