The dreaded Europa League returns tonight with 4 quarter final ties taking place across the continent. In Turin, Juventus will look to kill off Lyon following their 1.0 win in France last week. Conte's men are in fine form heading into the business end of the season and should win tonight to complete the job on a Lyon side that are no longer the strong European outfit we once knew, although odds of 1/3 to win are a little short. Juventus to win with a clean sheet looks likely but the bet i most like the look of is under 2.5 goals which pays 9/10 and looks a great bet, even if it is not my favourite type of selection. I expect Juventus to win either by 1 or 2 to 0. Next to Lisbon, where Benfica have a similar job against AZ Alkmaar, and once again I expect a similar outcome to that in Turin. Benfica are again a best priced 1/3 to see off their Dutch rivals but the bet I prefer is Benfica to score 2 or more goals at 4/9. I have a feeling this will be a stroll for Portugal's league leaders, and the option to back them on the handicap is a possibility. Benfica -1 pays at EVENS.
In Spain, Valencia look to climb back from the dead against Swiss Champions Basle in attempting to overturn a 3.0 slapping they took in Switzerland last week. Basel should have too much quality for a Valencia team who will have no option but to attack and look to stretch the game. BTTS pays at 8/11 and is my favoured selection for this match. Finally, in Sevilla where Porto protect a 1.0 lead against a side who have a very strong home record and who fully expected to overturn their narrow first leg defeat. This is the closest of all the ties tonight and I can see a tense, nervy perhaps aggressive match as Porto will no doubt look to protect what they have and considering they are missing 2 key performers in Jackson Martinez and Fernando and I expect this to be a low scoring, somewhat ugly encounter. Sevilla might have enough to force extra time and this one just seems too close to make any positive judgements. Sevilla are a best priced 17/20 to win on the night but I have a feeling Porto might just be able to hold out and make the Semi-Finals, however, I am not prepared to put my money on it. It's Europa league so the stakes might be relatively high for the teams but for me, as ever on these Thursday evenings, it will be low numbers. Good luck! Comments are closed.
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