THURSDAY IN EUROPE: The Ultra previews LYON v MANCHESTER UNITED and TOTTENHAM v EINTRACHT FRANKFURT both with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
LYON V MANCHESTER UNITED
8pm It’s Europa League Quarter-Final time on BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE and we have some cracking fixtures to enjoy on Thursday night! Manchester United and Spurs have been the main two talking clubs from the Europa League this season, and that’s where the focus is again. We kick off the night with Lyon hosting Manchester United, and we have a very open betting heat. Lyon come into the game as the favourites at 2.64 with Manchester United 2.88 and the draw is 3.55 at the time of writing. United have obviously had a very difficult season – this tournament is the only thing they have left; their Premier League season was over quite quickly! There has been a huge debate this season around whether or not they have actually made improvement under Ruben Amorim – the reality is they just don’t have the squad to carry out his system. Gary Neville gave a passionate opinion after the boring 0-0 draw in the Manchester Derby at the weekend and it was hard to disagree with them – we have about five or six players in the starting XI that just aren’t good enough. United just have to go through this process, and hope Amorim can turn things around just as he did with Sporting Lisbon – he’ll have to be backed in the transfer market this summer though because that was definitely lacking in January.
My own opinion about United this season is that they have actually played better football away from home. Obviously Ligue 1 is quite a low level league outside of PSG; Lyon are currently sitting in fifth place there. They have the eighth best attacking figure, and they are actually conceding more chances than they are creating on xG this season. They have an average xG conceded of 1.57 which is quite high given the quality of the opposition, but so far they are getting away with that – they are over-performing in front of goal and at the back. Really-and-truly, Lyon are performing like a mid-table Ligue 1 side. Obviously backing Manchester United has come with a wealth warning this season, but I do feel that we have the wrong favourite here. I wouldn’t put anyone off the United bet at 2.88, but I’m going to keep the draw on our side here too and lay Lyon. Main reason for that position instead of the United win bet is just that United have really struggled to create good quality chances and score goals this season. That being said, Lyon will give them chances here because they have been sloppy at the back. United can get a result here.
The Ultra Says:
Three points lay (liability) Lyon to beat Manchester United at 2.64 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/LyoMun
TOTTENHAM V EINTRACHT FRANKFURT
8pm We finish the first legs of the Quarter-Finals with the only odds on favourite as Spurs host Eintracht Frankfurt. Spurs have had a very similar season to Manchester United in the sense that they have been all over the place too; they are actually one point behind United at the moment. They have an excellent manager in Ange Postecoglou, but he is losing the fans as the weeks go by. Perhaps the media has egged on the situation and got some reactions from him, but sections of the supporters have been boo’ing his decisions recently. You can clearly see Postecoglou is a great manager, but I’m not sure he’s the right fit for a club like Spurs – he is too honest in his interviews and Spurs don’t exactly have a winning mentality at the club. Nevertheless, they come into this game as the odds on favourites – Spurs are trading 1.82 with Eintracht Frankfurt 4.4 and the draw is 4.3 at the time of writing. Frankfurt are having a solid season in the Bundesliga; they are miles behind the top two but they are in a decent position to get Champions League football next season. Apart from winning this competition, we won’t be seeing Spurs in Europe next season.
Frankfurt have the third best attacking figure in the Bundesliga this season, so you can’t really argue that they don’t deserve to be where they are. However, they have been exceptionally sloppy at the back. They have an average xG conceded of 1.66, which is marginally over the chances they are creating. They might have the third best attacking figure, but they also have the third worst defensive figure in the Bundesliga! Despite those stats, I still wouldn’t be rushing to take Spurs at odds on here; backing Spurs has come with a wealth warning this season and for good reasons. There’s always a mistake or two around the corner! Obviously Frankfurt like to play an open game, and Spurs generally are involved in open games too – I feel this game screams goals. Over 2.5 goals is trading 1.58 and Both Teams To Score is two ticks bigger at 1.6. I couldn’t put anyone off either bet, but I really like the Overs option and that’s a confident bet to finish the night in what should be an open and entertaining game!
The Ultra Says:
Three points win Over 2.5 goals at 1.58 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/TotEin
