EUROPA LEAGUE THURSDAY: We preview Thursday’s Europa League matches between CLUJ V CELTIC, STANDARD LIEGE V ARSENAL, MANCHESTER UNITED V AZ ALKMAAR, RANGERS V YOUNG BOYS and WOLVES V BESIKTAS all with recommended BETDAQ bets.
CLUJ V CELTIC
5.55pm Celtic have been superb in the Europa League this season, and they go into the final game with the luxury of already knowing they will top Group E. After winning their domestic league Cup at the weekend against Rangers, we can expect to see a few key players rested for this fixture. Cluj are three points clear of Lazio but need a result to put qualifying to bed, so we can expect them to be well up for this tie.
The match odds at the time of writing currently trade; Cluj 2.18, Celtic 4.0 and the draw is 3.35. Celtic beat Cluj when they had home advantage in the Europa League, but the sides also met in Champions League qualifying too. We seen a 1-1 draw here and Cluj won 4-3 away from home. There definitely isn’t much between these sides but on balance for tonight we prefer the Cluj win at 2.18. Celtic have nothing to play for and after enjoying their Cup success at the weekend, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a sub-standard performance here in what is a meaningless game for them.
BETDAQ BEST BET:
Cluj to beat Celtic at 2.18.
You can view all markets here -> http://bit.ly/BDQCluCel
STANDARD LIEGE V ARSENAL
5.55pm Arsenal finally got a win under their belt on Monday night against West Ham! We all know that West Ham haven’t been in great form though and their manager is favourite in the sack race. The jury remains out on Arsenal, but at least there are signs of improvement and three points would have done their confidence the world of good. There’s a lot on the line tonight as Standard Liege sit three points behind Arsenal, with Eintracht Frankfurt in between them only one point behind Arsenal.
The match odds at the time of writing currently trade; Standard Liege 3.5, Arsenal 2.16 and the draw is 3.85. Arsenal layers got burned at around the same price on Monday night, however they did trade considerably higher after being behind at half-time. We’re happy to lay Arsenal again at these odds away from home – one win does not change how poor they have been over the past few months and we can see them struggling again here.
BETDAQ BEST BET:
Lay Arsenal at 2.16.
You can view all markets here -> http://bit.ly/BDQStaArs
MANCHESTER UNITED V AZ ALKMAAR
8pm Both these sides are already through to the knockout stage, however we must decide who finishes top of Group L tonight. Manchester United currently top the Group on ten points but AZ Alkmaar are only one behind. The pressure around Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has definitely eased in the past week after wins against Spurs and Manchester City but this United side is hardly reliable. They seem to turn up for the big games though, and tonight is reasonably big given they will want to top the Group.
The match odds at the time of writing currently trade; Manchester United 1.92, AZ Alkmaar 4.4 and the draw is 3.7. AZ Alkmaar managed to hold United to a 0-0 draw when they had home advantage and United created very little. That was when they were on their poor run away from home though and with home advantage here the 1.92 looks too big. United are definitely an up-and-down side these days but 1.92 to beat a side like AZ Alkmaar with home advantage is too big to turn down.
BETDAQ BEST BET:
Manchester United to beat AZ Alkmaar at 1.92.
You can view all markets here -> http://bit.ly/BDQMunAza
RANGERS V YOUNG BOYS
8pm Group G is probably the best Group situation going into tonight. Only three points separate all four sides and it could come down to head-to-head records. Ranger will be delighted to sit top going into the final round of fixtures, but a loss here would more than likely knock them out. They need a result tonight to get through, and this is a massive fixture for the club especially after losing in the League Cup final against Celtic at the weekend.
The match odds at the time of writing currently trade; Rangers 1.91, Young Boys 4.3 and the draw is 3.95. Rangers will be delighted to have home advantage for such an important fixture. They failed to make it out of the Group stages last season, and not making it out tonight after leading the Group for a while will be gutting. Young Boys managed to beat Rangers when they had home advantage and they have been pretty solid; they managed to pick up a point away to Feyenoord and we feel Rangers shouldn’t be odds on here – we’re happy to lay them at 1.91.
BETDAQ BEST BET:
Lay Rangers at 1.91.
You can view all markets here -> http://bit.ly/BDQRanYou
WOLVES V BESIKTAS
8pm Wolves are already through to the knockout stages, but they will be still hoping to finish top of Group K. They are currently one point behind Braga in top spot, and their plan will be to win here and hope Braga slip up away to Slovan. The reality is Wolves and Braga have been class above Slovan and Besiktas in this Group and we should see a home win here.
The match odds at the time of writing currently trade; Wolves 1.57, Besiktas 7.0 and the draw is 4.3. Wolves only managed a 2-2 draw at the weekend away to Brighton, but they remain in good form and sit in sixth position in the Premier League table. Besiktas have only managed three points from their five games and with home advantage, Wolves should get the job done here. We felt they should be lower than 1.5, so we’re happy to take the 1.57 on offer.
BETDAQ BEST BET:
Wolves to beat Besiktas at 1.57.
You can view all markets here -> http://bit.ly/BDQWolBes
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