THURSDAY IN EUROPE: The Ultra previews MANCHESTER UNITED V LYON and EINTRACHT FRANKFURT V TOTTENHAM in the second legs of the Europa League Quarter-Finals both with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
MANCHESTER UNITED V LYON
8pm It’s crunch time in the Europa League Quarter-Final second legs on Betdaq Betting Exchange Thursday night! Manchester United and Spurs are back in action, you could say the laughing stocks of the Premier League this season, and both ties are perfectly set up level heading into the second leg. Both managers are clearly under pressure given the results this season; it feels like the situation with Ange Postecoglou has turned quite toxic whereas for Ruben Amorim he has more time. We kick off the evening with Manchester United hosting Lyon – United were only minutes away from getting an excellent 2-1 win in the first leg away from home only for another Andre Onana error to cost them. He was dropped at the weekend in the 4-1 loss to Newcastle; it’ll be fascinating to see if he plays here. The gulf in class between the Premier League and Ligue 1 is absolutely massive, so United do come into this tie expected to progress even allowing for their problems this season. United are the odds on favourites at 1.81 with Lyon 4.7 and the draw is 4.2 at the time of writing. All the pressure is on United here.
It will be absolutely fascinating to see how they deal with that. I think it’s fair to say they have been better away from home under Amorim – their performances at Old Trafford have been lacklustre and the atmosphere has been more like a funeral! I wouldn’t be rushing to back United here at odds on to be honest – even allowing for the fact that Lyon have been quite average in Ligue 1 this season. Lyon sit in fourth in Ligue 1 and they are well in the mix for Champions League football next season; however they are over-performing because they only have the sixth best attacking figure and they’ve been conceding far too many chances. Their average xG conceded is 1.56 which is a low-to-mid table figure which is obviously disappointing in Ligue 1. For that reason, I’m happy to stay out of the match odds market even if I have no faith in United at odds on. I feel this game screams goals between two sides who have been so poor and sloppy at the back. Over 2.5 goals is trading 1.69 and Both Teams To Score is the same price. I couldn’t put anyone off either bet to be honest given they are the same price, but I feel there is marginally more value in the Both Teams To Score option and that’s a confident bet for me.
The Ultra Says: Three points win Both Teams To Score at 1.69 with Betdaq Exchange.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/ManLyo
EINTRACHT FRANKFURT V TOTTENHAM
8pm We finish Thursday night with a massive game for Ange Postecoglou as Eintracht Frankfurt host Spurs. As I said above, the atmosphere with the fans and Postecoglou has turned quite toxic in recent weeks, and you feel like he desperately needs something good to happen. I feel like Postecoglou is an exceptional coach but he has talked himself into trouble in the media – especially with a club like Spurs who don’t achieve anything. It’s ending the same way that it did with Conte at the moment; you can see the writing on the wall! Spurs went into the first leg with home advantage as the odds on favourites, they had to settle for a 1-1 draw though, and now they have to do things the hard way in Germany. We have a reasonably open betting heat – the most open of the four Quarter-Final second legs anyway – Eintracht Frankfurt come into the game as the favourites at 2.42 with Spurs 2.92 and the draw is 3.85 at the time of writing. Spurs can say they were unlucky in the first leg; they created over double what Frankfurt managed on xG figures, but the reality is Frankfurt took a very early lead and then grinded out a result – Spurs couldn’t get the job done.
A lot has happened with Spurs since 2022, but the sides met here in the Champions League and played out a very even 0-0 draw. It’s actually hard to see anything other than a very close game here, but whether these two are good enough to see out a 0-0 again is another question. A mistake at the back is never far away with Spurs as we have seen time and time again this season. Frankfurt have been very poor at the back this season too; they have an average xG conceded of 1.65 which is exceptionally high for a side sitting up in third place in the Bundesliga. That’s actually the third worst defensive figure in the Bundesliga this season. Once again, I’m happy to stay out of the match odds market because they game screams goals to me. Over 2.5 goals is trading 1.65 and Both Teams To Score is a couple of ticks shorter at 1.59. Once again, similar to the above game, I couldn’t put anyone off either bet and again I feel the Both Teams To Score option offers marginally more value at 1.59. I wouldn’t be surprised to see another 1-1 here, but it could also be 4-4 the way these two defend!
The Ultra Says: Two points win Both Teams To Score at 1.59 with Betdaq Exchange.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/FraTot
