THURSDAY EUROPA LEAGUE: The Ultra previews Thursday’s games between REAL SOCIEDAD v MANCHESTER UNITED and ARSENAL v ZURICH both with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
REAL SOCIEDAD V MANCHESTER UNITED
5.45pm It’s crunch time in the Europa League on BETDAQ Betting Exchange this Thursday as we have two cracking ties to decide whether or not Manchester United and Arsenal will top their Groups. It’s fair to say that both sides got reasonably easy Groups in the sense that there was an obvious “top two” in each Group. Manchester United are on the backfoot in Group E heading into the final game however after losing to Real Sociedad when they had home advantage. They “only” lost 1-0, so everything is to play for here – United must win basically which is pretty straightforward to understand. Real Sociedad’s goal difference is better by three at the moment should United win 1-0 so the home side do have the edge. It hasn’t been pretty for United in this Group but they have got the job done. I suppose there has been such a gulf in class between the sides, even just winning by one goal was a “poor” result and reason for criticism – especially the Omonia game away. The reality is ten Hag has a system that works very well when he has his best XI, but this United squad outside of that best XI is still pretty average. Ronaldo and Maguire both started the weekend in a 1-0 win over West Ham which was a big step in the right direction because it looked like United were a much better team without them. That is true, but they will definitely need Maguire with Varane out injured. There’s a chance he could rush back for the World Cup too and makes things worse.
Real Sociedad are having a solid season in La Liga – they currently sit in fifth at the moment but they have lost their last two games. With Sevilla so poor this season a chance has really opened up for that fourth position, and that game at the weekend against Real Betis was massive. Unfortunately for Sociedad they lost 2-0 but it was a pretty even game and they will feel hard done by. There really wasn’t much between the sides when they met earlier in the Group, and that 1-0 loss was ten Hag’s first big setback after putting together a run of good results. I can only see a very close game again here and with Sociedad having home advantage this time I’m happy to lay United at 2.26. I just expect a closer game than the odds suggest here – Sociedad have been very good at home in La Liga this season. They have lost twice, but that was against Barcelona and Real Betis who are two top sides. I’d expect them to give United a lot of trouble here – I wouldn’t be surprised to see a 0-0 score line either. Despite United needing to win, they know they don’t have to “go for it” too early so I’d expect a very cagey start.
The Ultra Says:
Two points lay (liability) Manchester United to beat Real Sociedad at 2.26 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/SocMun
ARSENAL V ZURICH
8pm We move over to Group A to finish the evening as Arsenal host Zurich. This is a top v bottom clash, but after losing to PSV last week Arsenal only have a two point advantage at the top of the table so the pressure is on to win here. This Group has had an obvious top two from the start really, and although PSV drew with Bodo/Glimt is was always going to be Arsenal and PSV going through. With Zurich sitting bottom of the Group and Arsenal having home advantage, Arsenal definitely have the easier tie tonight and will be fully expected to top the Group. Indeed, the market is fully expecting a comfortable home win here with Arsenal trading as short as 1.17 at the time of writing. PSV are away to Bodo/Glimt and are odds against to win tonight, so Arsenal are in a great position. Zurich did manage to get a win under their belts last week at home to Bodo/Glimt, and in general their Europa League games this season have been entertaining. We’ve saw Over 2.5 goals in every Zurich game this season, and obviously Over 2.5 goals is trading short here because the market is expecting a comfortable Arsenal win. Over 2.5 goals is very short at 1.33 here, but to be honest it’s hard to see anything bar a very open game here.
Arsenal have a busy fixture list, but they can’t afford to play a second XI here needing to win. I would expect them to name a strong side, and possibly make some changed when they have a nice lead. Over 3.5 goals catches my eye at 1.84 here – Arsenal have had a lot of 1-0 wins recently but they have been seeing a lot of chances at both ends of the pitch. For example they beat PSV 1-0 here but they finished the game with an xG of 3.78 – it could have easily been 5-0 or 6-0. At the other end of the pitch, they beat Leeds 1-0 but conceded at an xG of 2.35 – they were very lucky to win that game, but to be fair they were unlucky to lose to away to PSV last week because they finished with a higher xG figure. Zurich have something to play for here too, so there’s no reason why they won’t “go for it” – they are only one point behind Bodo/Glimt in the race for the Europa League spot. I would expect a very end-to-end game here with Arsenal scoring plenty, but also conceding at some point too. Over 3.5 goals is a nice option because there’s a lot of ways to win here – a handsome Arsenal win or a competitive game with plenty of chances.
The Ultra Says:
Two points win Over 3.5 goals at 1.84 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/ArsZur
