Europa League Quarter-Final
And then there were eight…
From the 48 teams in the group stage, the Europa League is now down to eight. It couldn’t get more exciting as well given that Europe’s top-five leagues are well represented in the competition.
Premier League side Arsenal remain in the tournament and are one of the online betting favourites to lift the title, along with La Liga giants Atletico Madrid. Bundesliga club RB Leipzig, Serie A side Lazio and Ligue 1 team Marseille, however, are more than capable of defying the betting odds and pulling off some upsets.
Teams like CSKA Moscow and Sports CP shouldn’t be counted out too. After all, the two also came from the Champions League!
Lazio vs Red Bull Salzburg
In Ciro Immobile, Lazio have a player who assures them goals night in and night out. The Italian striker, who boasts a league-leading 26 goals in Serie A, even scored four of the club’s nine goals in their last three Europa outings!
He will be pivotal once again as Lazio host a Salzburg side that is currently on a high. The Red Bulls are at the top of the Austrian Bundesliga and are brimming with confidence after ousting Borussia Dortmund and Real Sociedad from the competition.
Defence will be the problem for Lazio, though, as they have already conceded seven goals in their last five in all competitions. Salzburg, in contrast, have produced three straight clean sheets. Considering all these factors, betting on Salzburg Asian Handicap +0.75 @ 1.89 seems the best choice.
Atletico Madrid vs Sporting Lisbon
Sporting CP boss Jorge Jesus knows what they are facing when they visit the Wanda Metropolitano this week. Atletico Madrid are strong and difficult to stop, especially with Antoine Griezmann leading the way.
The visitors’ manager even compared the French talisman to Lionel Messi and claimed that Griezmann is tougher to neutralise!
Indeed, for Sporting, all they can do is beef up their defence and pray. However, the fact that Griezmann, Diego Costa and Fernando Torres are well rested for Atletico won’t put the Lions’ hopes up.
Expect goals to come in this game, so go for Over 2.50 @ 2.01.
RB Leipzig vs Marseille
Riding a six-game unbeaten streak, Leipzig play Olympique Marseille at home with high hopes that they can build on their current momentum.
Leipzig are still out of the automatic Champions League qualification places in the German top flight, so they are determined to win it all here and use it as a backdoor to the biggest European competition.
Marseille will pose some threat after beating the likes of Athletic Bilbao and Sporting Braga on their way to this stage. However, it should be noted that they have an ugly record in Germany, having failed to score in their last three visits to the country.
Both teams aren’t good defensively, but the Bulls have the advantage on the offensive end with the likes of Timo Werner, Emil Forsberg and Naby Keita leading the attack. If you’re punting, choose Leipzig -0.75 @ 1.91.
Arsenal vs CSKA Moscow
The result of this tournament could decide the future of Arsene Wenger in Arsenal.
With their hopes of finishing in the Premier League top four all but gone, Wenger needs to prove he can still deliver trophies and a European berth to the Gunners.
Wenger’s selection in their latest EPL match with Stoke showed that he had an eye on this encounter with CSKA Moscow. Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Laurent Koscielny were both rested while Alexandre Lacazette only had a cameo, albeit impressive, appearance.
Arsenal’s hunger and the fact that they will be playing at the Emirates should prove enough in this matchup, even against a Russian outfit that is capable of staging a surprise—just like they did against Lyon last month.
I expect the Gunners to come out on top, but I don’t think it will be a high-scoring affair. With that said, go for Goals Under 2.50 @ 2.13.
For the latest sports update, promotions and betting picks with SBOBET get social with our official Twitter, Google+, YouTube and Facebook accounts. Visit SBOBET and join us now. Start placing your bets today!
Click for more football betting options.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
