Tag: Europa League

Europa League – Dynamo Kiev v Everton Preview

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Who would have thought that Everton would be the last surviving Premiership club in Europe this season? Sadly, that is the case as The Toffees face Dynamo Kiev of Ukraine in their second leg Europa League tie on Thursday.

Credit to Arsenal for dominating their second leg tie in Monaco but they couldn’t quite pull off the 3-0 win needed to keep alive their Champions League hopes. Manchester City were outclassed for a second time by Barcelona, although it is fair to say that the draw was not kind to them. Everton are no certainties to keep the flag flying in Europe after fighting back for a 2-1 win at Goodison Park last week.

Romelu Lukaku has not been that consistent this season but he was on his best form that night. The Kiev defence didn’t seem to know how to deal with his battering-ram approach, although the decisive goal came from a spot-kick. Lukaku seems to have assumed the role of penalty-taker ahead of Leighton Baines and that is something to bear in mind in the goal scorer markets.

On the domestic front, Everton have been woeful this season and a weekend victory over Newcastle was greeted with great relief by the home fans. Life is bad enough for Evertonians with Liverpool surging up the table without facing the spectre of relegation. The scenario seems unlikely now, although the Toffees still need to gather a few more points to be guaranteed safety.

Their involvement in Europe has been cited as a reason for some of their disappointing league performances and that may well be the case. Martinez has certainly adopted a positive approach to a competition that has been given scant respect by other sides. If they can get past Kiev on Thursday, they are into the last eight and a Cup final would mark a major achievement for Everton. David Moyes kept them in the top half of the table but never managed to secure a trophy in his long tenure.

Everton have been impressive on their travels, particularly at Young Boys where Lukaku bagged a hat-trick. The Belgian International has now scored seven goals in his last seven games and looks worth a bet to help the Toffees keep Premiership interest alive in Europe, for a little longer at least.

Everton to win @14-5 BetVictor

Romelu Lukaku to score at any time @11-4 Betway

Europa League Preview February 26th

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Liverpool, Everton, Tottenham and Celtic are in action in the Europa League on Thursday as they bid for a place in the last sixteen. Although this competition is the poor relation of the Champions League, it can still provide plenty of entertainment as the Celtic versus Inter Milan tie illustrated last week.

Inter cruised into a 2-0 lead before Celtic hit back and a see-saw game ended 3-3. The Italians won’t be taking anything for granted in the second leg and look a solid bet to go through. Italian teams are famous for their ability to defend slender leads so it was surprising to see them ship three goals at Celtic Park. Argentine striker Rodrigo Palacio scored twice in the first leg and has been rested this week. He is worth supporting in the goalscorer markets.

Everton will be going through the motions when they host Young Boys with a 4-1 first leg lead. Romelu Lukaku scored a hat-trick in the reverse fixture but was unable to produce the same clinical finishing in the Premier League at the weekend as the Toffees scrambled a 2-2 draw at home to Leicester. They shouldn’t need him tonight as it is virtually a dead rubber and one to avoid, betting wise.

Liverpool still have work to do in Turkey against Besiktas with only Mario Balotelli’s controversial penalty to defend. The arrogant Italian grabbed all the headlines in a dour encounter at Anfield and it would be no surprise to see him heading for pastures new in the summer. Besiktas aren’t anything special but they are good enough to make Liverpool work hard for a place in the next round. The best bet may be Liverpool in the “draw – no bet” market.

Tottenham are level with Fiorentina after a 1-1 draw at White Hart Lane. Mauricio Pochettino tried to rotate his squad for the first leg but ended up in no-man’s land with a poor result and his side being extremely fortunate to salvage a point against West Ham. He is now trying to save enough for Sunday’s Capital One Cup final against Chelsea and his team selection will tell us how serious he is about this competition.

It wouldn’t surprise me to see his plans blow up in his face with this match stretching to extra-time or even penalties. I think Spurs will go through but it may cost them at the weekend.

Liverpool to win DRAW NO BET @4-5 Coral

Inter Milan to beat Celtic @8-13 SkyBet

Rodrigo Palacio to score at any time @8-5 Paddy Power

Tottenham to qualify for last 16 @6-4 Bet365

Europa League Preview 19th February

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After the opening matches in the last 16 of the Champions League, attention switches to the Europa League with Everton, Liverpool, Spurs and Celtic in action on Thursday.

24 teams have battled through the group stages to reach the last 32 and have now been joined by the Champions League “failures”. Chelsea won the trophy in 2013 after being eliminated at the group stage and Liverpool will try to emulate them this season.

Brendan Rodgers has got to prioritise the Premier League, FA Cup and this competition but there are excellent reasons to pursue all three. Their recent victory over Tottenham revived hopes of a top four finish while the Europa League winners now qualify for the Champions League. Having missed out on a Capital One Cup final, the club are intent on providing Steven Gerrard with a grandstand finish in the FA Cup.

They face Besiktas in the first leg at Anfield with the familiar figure of Demba Ba returning to the scene of his breakaway goal for Chelsea that all but ended Liverpool’s title charge last season. Besiktas finished above Tottenham in their group and should provide the Reds with a tough test, especially if Rodgers fields a weakened team. Daniel Sturridge is certain to be involved at some stage but I don’t expect this to be plain sailing for Liverpool.

Roberto Martinez has managed to end Everton’s miserable run of form in recent weeks, largely by playing defensive football. They came within moments of keeping a fourth consecutive clean sheet against Chelsea having shut out Liverpool. They will surely adopt a similar policy when they travel to Young Boys, a dangerous opponent with seven consecutive European wins. Their impressive group form included a 2-0 win against Napoli and they could prove too good for the Toffees with home advantage.

Tottenham are at home to Fiorentina, a side that includes Micah Richards, Alberto Aquilani and Mohamed Salah. The latter has already opened his account since joining the Italian side from Chelsea in January. They beat Sassuolo 3-1 on Saturday and will give Mauricio Pochettino’s side plenty to think about here. However, Fiorentina have only kept one clean sheet in twelve and Spurs have enough fire power to gain a first leg advantage.

Celtic face Roberto Mancini’s Inter Milan at Celtic Park and will need to grab a lead if they are to have any chance of progressing. They won their eighth successive match when beating St Johnstone on Saturday while Inter have also improved recently on the domestic front. They are still languishing in mid-table and struggled through the group phase but could have enough class to win away from home.

Young Boys to beat Everton @19-10 Totesport, Betfred

Inter Milan to beat Celtic @31-20 BetVictor

Liverpool v Besiktas DRAW @16-5 BetVictor

Tottenham to beat Fiorentina @5-4 Bet365

Europa League Final – Chelsea v Benfica Preview

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Chelsea take the field for the 68th time this season when they meet Benfica in the final of the Europa League on Wednesday night. Having started the season with so many opportunities for silverware they now find themselves at the last chance saloon. Ironically it is the one competition that they did not want to be in that could provide them with something to celebrate after seven trophies have slipped through their grasp.

Rafael Benitez has few friends at Stamford Bridge but has at least salvaged a little pride by sealing a Champions League spot with a 2-1 win at Villa Park last weekend. Chelsea were grateful to their much-maligned skipper Frank Lampard for his two goals and it was fitting that he should break the record as Chelsea’s leading goalscorer in the process. Lampard may not be finished for the season just yet as an injury to Eden Hazard has reduced the midfield options for Benitez against a Benfica side that are certainly worthy of respect.

In the absence of Hazard, a leg-weary Juan Mata will once again be expected to pull the strings for the Blues. He has been Chelsea’s best player this season despite having been on international duty throughout the summer for his country. He admitted that he and the squad were feeling the strain after a laboured performance at Old Trafford, albeit a crucial winning one. Their attacking options are also limited with Demba Ba cup-tied. Fernando Torres has led the attack in Europe this season but has been well supported by Victor Moses in this competition and Benitez may elect to start with both.

One player who should never be overlooked on the big occasions is Ramires. It was his sensational solo goal that breathed new life into Chelsea’s Champions League hopes in Barcelona last season and he also fired the Blues ahead in the FA Cup final against Liverpool. His most recent action was less distinguished as he was dismissed for a high challenge at Aston Villa but he had previously scored against Tottenham and will be keen to score against his former club. Moses and Ramires are relatively fresh players and could be worth having on your side at 5-1 and 7-1 respectively to find the net at some point in the game.

Benfica will be competing in their ninth major European final but their last success came in the European Cup back in 1962. Chelsea defeated them by a single goal both at home and away in the Champions League last season and a similar result could be on the cards here. Chelsea never seem to make it easy for themselves so I can see Benfica making a game of it without quite having the firepower to beat the Blues. Odds of 3-1 about a narrow Chelsea victory seem fair.

Curiously, Paddy Power are offering to refund all losing bets on the first goalscorer and correct score markets should Oscar find the target at any time during the game. He will have plenty of supporters after the first goal goes in!

Ramires to score at any time 7-1 William Hill

Moses to score at any time 5-1 William Hill

Chelsea to win by a single goal 3-1 Skybet

Preview and Football Tips

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Liverpool v Everton (1.30pm)

There are two cracking games this Sunday for stay-at-home punters. First up is the Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton. The visitors still have a slim chance of sneaking into a Champions League spot but they would have to win all of their matches and hope that the London clubs slip up badly. Liverpool have nothing left to play for other than the local bragging rights but that is more than enough!

The Luis Suarez biting incident may have put Liverpool back in the news for all the wrong reasons but they came out and thrashed Newcastle 6-0 last weekend. Defensive stalwart Jamie Carragher has confirmed his retirement and will be appearing in a Merseyside derby for the last time in his career. As if any further incentive were required, the gap between Everton and Liverpool is five points and the Toffees have not finished above Liverpool for successive seasons in the last 50 years.

Everton fans are anxiously waiting to hear whether David Moyes is to remain at the club and a Europa League place might give him encouragement to do so. Bookmakers make Liverpool even money favourites to win with a draw priced at 5-2 and Everton as big as 100-30 to grab all three points. As impressive as the Reds were in crushing the Magpies last week, it has to be said that the opposition were woeful and Everton will be a completely different proposition. Liverpool have flitted in and out of form all season and it wouldn’t be the biggest surprise to see their form dip once again. I think Everton are over-priced when you take the season as a whole and the price is worth taking.

Everton 100-30 Bet Victor

Manchester United v Chelsea (4.00pm)

The second match features the fifth meeting of the season between Manchester United and Chelsea. United have just been crowned champions but mid-season talk of them being one of the greatest United teams in history have been proved to be misguided. An early Champions League exit was followed by defeat in the FA Cup against Sunday’s rivals.

The first league meeting of the season was the infamous Clattenburg affair, a game that arguably started the rot at Stamford Bridge this season. They gained revenge in the League Cup and staged a magnificent recovery from 2-0 down in the FA Cup quarter-final before Demba Ba’s solo effort settled the replay. On Thursday the Blues booked their place in the final of the Europa Cup but now face two crucial Premiership matches in the space of four days. They welcome Tottenham to the Bridge on Wednesday night in a potentially decisive match in the battle for a Champions League place.

Juan Mata has been exceptional for Chelsea this season and he only appeared as a late substitute on Thursday night. He looks a fair bet to find the target at any time during the match at 100-30. Demba Ba will lead the attack and Oscar should also make the starting line up. Chelsea will be hoping that United take their foot off the pedal a bit and allow them to gain a vital three points. If they play like they did in the second half against Basle they might just do it.

Chelsea 5-2 William Hill
Juan Mata to score 100-30 William Hill

Europa League Quarter-Final Preview

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The Europa League may not sit very highly in the order of priorities for the top sides but there are plenty of reasons for the three remaining English sides to give it a real go tonight. Chelsea have blundered away numerous pieces of silverware this season and are in poll position to gain some sort of compensation after a comfortable 3-1 home leg victory against Rubin Kazan.

There have already been mumblings of discontent from the squad this week about being able to motivate themselves for the trip to Moscow but they have to be taken with a pinch of salt. The excuses of an artificial pitch, freezing cold conditions and their hectic fixture list have also been put up but they looked in a different class to the Russians in the first leg and must surely progress. Rubin believe that the away goal could prove vital and will be hoping to rattle Chelsea’s cage with an early goal. The loss of Ryan Bertrand has left a bit of a weakness at left-back for the Blues but they have enough quality to cope. The bookmakers have put up odds as high as 7-4 about Chelsea winning tonight and I think that is decent value.

Tottenham undoubtedly face a more difficult task in Basle after being held to a 2-2 draw at White Hart Lane last week. The injury to Gareth Bale along with the absence of Lennon and Defoe certainly takes a lot of the creativity away from the Londoners as they go in search of a win. The first leg was a strange affair, with Spurs all at sea in defence as Basle strolled into a 2-0 lead. How the game finished at 2-2 is something of a mystery given the opportunities squandered by both sides in the second period. Spurs are priced at 9-4 to come away with the victory tonight with some suspecting that this competition may have to be sacrificed in order to keep their hopes of securing a Champions League spot alive. I don’t believe that for a moment and think that Andre Villas-Boas is desperate to claim a trophy this season.

Newcastle have crept quietly through the competition and are unlucky not to be in a better position going into tonight’s second leg against Benfica. They were unlucky not to gain at least a draw from the opening fixture. A 3-1 defeat was incredibly harsh on the Magpies who look tempting at 9-4 to win tonight. It may be asking too much for them to overturn a two-goal deficit but they will certainly give it a go. With the Premiership not represented in the quarter-finals of the Champions League this year, it may seem an odd time to be backing British. However, I think all three Premiership sides have a chance of victory this evening.

Chelsea to beat Rubin Kazan 7-4 Coral
Tottenham to beat Basle 9-4 BetVictor
Newcastle to beat Benfica 9-4 BetVictor