THURSDAY IN EUROPE: The Ultra previews Thursday’s games between ARSENAL v PSV (Europa League) and BARCELONA v VILLAREAL (La Liga) both with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
ARSENAL V PSV
6pm It’s been an intriguing week in Europe already on BETDAQ Betting Exchange, and we have another cracking night ahead on Thursday! We have one fixture from the Europa League, and Barcelona are in action in La Liga too. Arsenal host PSV to start the evening in the Europa League as they try to “catch up” on this fixture since it was postponed the week the Queen died because of policing issues in London. The two sides will clash again very soon with PSV having home advantage, actually next Thursday, and these two games will decide who tops the Group and who finishes second. Both sides are in a strong position in Group A with Arsenal sitting on top with three wins from three games while PSV are just behind them on seven points from their three games. I can’t see any issues for either side on the final matchday against Zurich or Bodo/Glimt so if Arsenal win here they might be in a position to rest some players going forward which will be a huge bonus given the busy Premier League schedule before the World Cup. Arsenal come into the game as the odds on favourites – currently trading 1.54 at the time of writing, ironically the same price as Barcelona to beat Villarreal later – surely there’s a debate what is the better home bet tonight?
Although Arsenal have been playing some very good football this season, I do feel that they are a little short at 1.54 here. PSV have been playing very well in Eredivisie, and obviously that is a much lower level than the Premier League but Arsenal haven’t really been firing lately. I know they keep winning games and that is a massive credit to them, but they were very lucky to win against Leeds at the weekend. They grinded out a 1-0 win to be fair to them but they conceded an xG of 2.35 while doing it. They didn’t create much either against Bodo/Glimt away from home so that’s xG’s of just 0.72 and 0.86 from their last two games. There’s a lot of buzz around Arsenal this season, and they definitely look like a much improved side that can get the fans excited again after so many poor years, but I just feel this is a good time to take them on. PSV have been banging in goals for fun recently and I feel they’ll make this game closer than odds of 1.54 suggest. I’m happy with the Arsenal lay from a value point of view.
The Ultra Says:
Two points lay (liability) Arsenal to beat PSV at 1.54 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/ArsPsv
BARCELONA V VILLARREAL
8pm We move to La Liga to finish the evening as Barcelona host Villarreal. Barcelona will be desperate for a good performance here and a comfortable win because it hasn’t been a good few weeks for them. They lost away to Inter Milan and then only managed a 3-3 draw at home so it’s looking like they’ll have to settle for the Europa League again this season which is obviously very disappointing. Then they lost 3-1 in El Clasico at the weekend and that’s put them on the backfoot in the title race too. They haven’t been playing that badly, indeed they even finished with a higher xG figure than Real in El Clasico at the weekend it’s just been a poor run of results. They were a little unlucky in the Champions League away to Inter – they lost 1-0 but only conceded an xG of 0.16; they weren’t that unlucky though because it’s not like they created a lot. In between and just before this run they recorded wins over Celta Vigo and Mallorca, but neither time they played superb or dominated the game. That’s a little worrying, and it will be interesting to see how they perform here. As I said above, they really need a win to settle the ship again. The title race is by no means over, not even close, it’s just a setback that they have to deal with.
Barcelona come into the game as clear favourites, as you would expect, and they will be a popular selection at 1.54. Villarreal haven’t been great this season and have already dropped plenty of points. It’s a shame for them because with Sevilla playing so poorly that fourth spot has definitely opened up this season. Villarreal would have been one of the sides in the mix to battle for that spot, but they have already lost twice and drawn three times from their nine games. They have been rock solid at the back though – and you can see them trying to make life difficult for Barca here. Although I couldn’t put anyone off the 1.54 on Barcelona, I fully respect how good Villarreal have been at the back – I know it has come at a cost of scoring goals themselves and they will try to make this a dull affair. I feel Under 2.5 goals is a better value play at 2.5 compared to the Barcelona win. I can’t see too many goals here, and wouldn’t be surprised at all to see a score line of 0-0 at half-time, or even full-time given how negative Villarreal are likely to be here.
The Ultra Says:
Two points win Under 2.5 goals at 2.5 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/BarVll
