The second legs of the Europa League quarter-finals last eight take place this Thursday. Arsenal and Chelsea are in the box seat in their respective ties, having secured good results in London and Prague last week.
Meanwhile, Villarreal and Eintracht Frankfurt need huge turnarounds if they are to progress to the semi-finals.
CHELSEA vs Slavia Prague
Maurizio Sarri tweaked the Chelsea line-up at the weekend, starting Eden Hazard down the middle against Liverpool. The Blues were not at their best at Anfield and fell to a limp 2-0 defeat.
Sarri’s job is at threat, and it could turn out that winning the Europa League is his only way of remaining Chelsea manager for next season.
Slavia Prague put in an industrious performance in the Czech capital last week. Key man Tomas Soucek returns for the trip to west London, but few will be backing them to go through, even at 11/1.
Chelsea’s defence has been solid enough at home of late and it’s hard to see the visitors stopping them scoring.
Chelsea’s 33/100 price to win in 888sport’s football betting will be on the short side for a lot of people. The -1 handicap at 10/11 is better value.
TIP: Chelsea to win (-1) @ 10/11
PREDICTED SCORE: Chelsea 2-0 Slavia Prague (Priced at 5/1 with 888sport)
EINTRACHT FRANKFURT vs Benfica
Eintracht Frankfurt have become everyone’s second favourite team this season. Their football has been free flowing, and their results have been excellent.
A 4-2 first leg defeat, having been down to 10 men for most of the match, was not the worst case scenario, but Luka Jovic and co are left needing a historic display.
Benfica cruised past Vitoria de Setubal at the weekend with youngster Joao Felix shining again after his hat-trick in the first leg.
The Portuguese side are embroiled in a thrilling title race with Porto but will name a strong team here as they look to win their first Europa League, having lost in the final in 2013 and 2014.
Frankfurt have lost their last two, but their home form in the Europa League is very good. The Bundesliga side are worth backing to win on the night, even though they are likely to fall short of progression.
TIP: Eintracht Frankfurt to win @ 17/20
PREDICTED SCORE: Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 Benfica (Priced at 7/1 with 888sport)
NAPOLI vs Arsenal
Napoli lost 2-0 in the first leg and are up against it as a result. Carlo Ancelotti’s side comfortably beat Chievo at the weekend, though, and that will at least give them confidence coming into this match.
Arkadiusz Milik could return to the starting line-up, having been on the bench in London. The Polish striker is 5/4 to score anytime.
Arsenal beat Watford on Monday night, but Unai Emery’s side were far from convincing against the 10-man Hornets.
It was their first away clean sheet in the Premier League this season, however, and will give the Gunners a needed boost as they try to hold onto their first leg lead.
Napoli were poor in the first leg. Ancelotti’s men face a tough task without an away goal – they are a good price at 4/6 to win on the night, but the 3/1 to go through doesn’t represent great value with Arsenal likely to score.
TIP: Napoli to win @ 4/6
PREDICTED SCORE: Napoli 2-1 Arsenal (Priced at 7/1 with 888sport)
VALENCIA vs VILLARREAL
Daniel Wass and Goncalo Guedes scored in second half added time to turn this tie on its head. Valencia lead 3-1 after the first leg on the road and are 1/50 to progress as a result.
Los Murciélagos are favourites at 10/13 to win at home on Thursday night and will be full of confidence, having won 3-1 at the weekend.
The Europa League has been a welcome distraction from a troubled La Liga campaign for Villarreal.
A weekend win against Girona was huge in their fight against the drop. Overturning the first leg deficit is probably too great an ask, however.
Valencia have been draw specialists at home this season. The hosts will look to sit tight, and that could make this a very cagey match. The 19/20 on under 2.5 goals is a good bet.
TIP: Under 2.5 goals @ 19/20
PREDICTED SCORE: Valencia 1-1 Villarreal (Priced at 23/4 with 888sport)
*Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*
