Thursday’s Europa League Predictions
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Manchester United to beat Real Sociedad by one goal - 13/5 Bet365
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Tottenham to beat AZ Alkmaar win to nil - 13/8 Bet365
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Over 2.5 goals in Rangers v Fenerbahçe - 8/11 BetMGM
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Viktoria Plzen to score over 1.5 goals v Lazio - 9/2 Betfred
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Fourfold accumulator returns 85/1 on Bet365
British interest in Europe continues on Thursday with the second leg of the Europa League last 16 fixtures and some sides will need a vast improvement if they are to progress.
Both Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur will be hoping home comforts can help them overcome Real Sociedad and AZ Alkmaar respectively to reach the last eight of the competition.
United are level at 1-1 from the first leg after Mikel Oyarzabal cancelled out Joshua Zirkzee’s earlier opener when he converted from the penalty spot, after a handball from United skipper Bruno Fernandes.
Spurs need to overcome a one-goal deficit against AZ after an own goal from Lucas Bergvall was the only goal of the game in Holland.
Rangers are in with a great chance to progress after they secured a superb 3-1 win over Fenerbahce in Istanbul, a week ago, thanks largely to a brace from Vaclav Cerny. With one foot in the quarter-finals, the Scottish side will be desperate to go one better than they did last season and reach the last eight.
There are so many other interesting ties to come with Lazio narrowly leading Viktoria Plzen 2-1 and Athletic Bilbao trailing Roma 2-1 from their first leg, with a home leg still to play.
We’ve been through the best football betting sites to compile a four-fold acca consisting of wagers from each of the games with British interest and Lazio’s clash with Plzen which returns at 85/1 with Bet365.
Manchester United v Real Sociedad prediction
After three draws in a row Ruben Amorin’s side will have do something they have found hard to do this season and that’s win at Old Trafford.
In cup competitions, they have won all bar two of their matches across all competitions. They drew 1-1 with FC Twente in the Europa League back in September before their FA Cup tie with Fulham, earlier this month, finished with the same scoreline before they were knocked out on penalties.
In the Premier League, they have lost seven of their 15 matches at Old Trafford so far but is is essential they come out on top on Thursday if they are to have a chance of achieving anything this season.
It’s been an awful season for fans on and off the pitch but a night in Bilbao in May will make it more palatable.
Football betting sites have United as third favourites to lift the trophy at odds of 6/1 behind Spurs and Lazio. They are 10/11 to win on Thursday, while Real Sociedad are 39/10 and you can get 5/2 on a draw.
Thursday accumulator prediction 1: United to win by one goal - 13/5 Bet365
Tottenham Hotspur v AZ Alkmaar prediction
Ange Postecoglou knows his side will have to improve dramatically from their performance in Alkmaar if they are to overcome the one-goal deficit.
That was the only Europa League game that Spurs have failed to score in so far this season, so you’d back them to score on Thursday, especially against a side that has conceded in nine of their 11 games.
Spurs won the meeting in London in the group stages when Richarlison scored the only goal of the game from the penalty spot before David Moller Wolf was sent off with five minutes to go.
They will be buoyed by the return to action of Dominic Solanke, Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven who all featured in Sunday’s 2-2 draw at home to Bournemouth.
Betting sites are all backing Spurs for the win at odds of 20/39 so you have to get creative to make it worth your while.
Thursday accumulator prediction 2: Spurs to win to nil - 13/8 Bet365
Rangers v Fenerbahce prediction
That brace from Vaclav Cerny in Istanbul took his tally for the season to 17, including six in this competition and two assists from his nine matches played.
He also scored twice against FCSB as well as goals against Nice and Union St Gilloise and you wouldn’t put it past him being involved in the thick of the action on Thursday.
Before their meeting last week, the two sides had only met before in the Champions League back in 2001. The game at Ibrox finished 0-0 before the Turkish side won the return leg 2-1 in Istanbul, so there’s not a whole of history to go on.
Boss Barry Ferguson was a beaten finalist in the Europa League back in 2008, when Rangers were beaten 2-0 by Zenit Saint Petersburg at the Etihad, how he would love to go one further and lift the trophy as a manager.
There have been an average of three goals in Rangers’ Europa League matches so far and 2.8 in Fenerbahce’s so we can expect goals in this one.
Thursday accumulator prediction 3: Over 2.5 goals - 8/11 BetMGM
Lazio v Viktoria Plzen (17:45) prediction
Despite being reduced to nine men against Czech side Viktoria Plzen a week ago Lazio still, somehow, managed to come away with a 2-1 win to give them a great chance of reaching the last eight of the competition.
Betting apps have them joint-favourites to win the competition with Tottenham, but they will be without both Nicolo Rovella and Samuel Gigot on Thursday.
Alessio Romagnoli gave the visitors the lead in the Doosan Arena before Rafiu Durosinmi equalised for the home side. Despite being down to 10-men Gustav Isaksen scored the winner before Gigot was also sent off.
They will have to play better at the Stadio Olimpico because Plzen dominated for large periods of the first leg, and they have lost just two of their seven away games in this competition so far this season.
The defeats came at Athletic Bilbao and Ferencvaros, but they won at Hearts and Dynamo Kyiv and drew at Eintracht Frankfurt and PAOK Salonika.
Plzen have scored two or more goals in seven of their European games so far and with them chasing a place in the last eight they will be going all out on Thursday.
Thursday accumulator prediction 4: Plzen to score over 1.5 goals - 9/2 Betfred
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