The Europa League is beginning to heat up. Some of the continent’s biggest clubs, namely Inter Milan and Napoli, will drop into Europe’s secondary club competition after falling short in the Champions League and the race to advance to the knockout stages is on.
Chelsea and Arsenal are both through to the next round but Celtic and Rangers are still in the fight to progress. It should be another nervy but exciting night of Europa League football on Thursday evening.
Without further ado, let’s get down to the tipping. According to 888sport’s Europa League betting odds, this four-fold pays at around 8/1. Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic are the headline act in our final accumulator of the 2018/19 group stages…
BESIKTAS vs Malmo
Group I is arguably the most intriguing ahead of matchday six. Both qualifying spots are still up for grabs and that is testament to just how competitive all four teams have been. This is going right down to the wire…
Besiktas will fancy themselves on home soil – the Turkish outfit have a formidable record in front of their own fans. Take the 4/7 for a Besiktas victory in this encounter.
Malmo claimed a 2-0 win over Besiktas back in October and punters will fancy the Swedish side to prevail. The visitors have lost just two of their last 16 away games in all competitions and they will be hard to break down.
A point won’t be enough for Malmo; they have to push for the victory. The away side could leave themselves exposed on the break and that brings the 4/5 for over 2.5 goals into play.
TIP: Besiktas to win @ 4/7
PREDICTED SCORE: Besiktas 2-1 Malmo (Priced at 7/1 with 888sport)
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RAPID VIENNA vs RANGERS
Group G is also wide open ahead of matchday six and Rapid Vienna will be quietly confident of doing enough to secure second spot in the race to reach the next round.
The Austrian outfit have won three of their four Europa League games in 2018/19 and that may be enough to tempt punters to side with the hosts. At 13/10, Rapid Vienna are worth a second look in the betting.
Meanwhile, Rangers know what they have to do in order to reach the next round. Winning away from home in Europe is never easy but Steven Gerrard will have his side fired up for this one.
Punters fancying the Scottish outfit will be tempted by the 2/1 for an away win but the 3/4 for over 2.5 goals carries more appeal. This could be another entertaining affair under the Vienna floodlights.
TIP: Over 2.5 goals @ 3/4
PREDICTED SCORE: Rapid Vienna 2-2 Rangers (Priced at 23/2 with 888sport)
ARSENAL vs FK Qarabag
Already safely through to the next round, Arsenal could be forgiven for taking their foot off the gas. After all, Qarabag shouldn’t pose too much of a threat at the Emirates Stadium…
Unai Emery’s men will finish top of Group E after a solid campaign and the Gunners boss may wring the changes on Thursday night. A weakened Arsenal side should still be capable of scoring over 1.5 goals (7/25) though.
Qarabag are now playing for pride but the floodgates could open if Arsenal make an early breakthrough. The visitors have conceded 12 goals in their five Europa League matches so far this season.
Playing for nothing other than pride, Qarabag may relax and they could surprise us all under the Emirates Stadium lights on Thursday evening. Optimistic Qarabag backers can get 10/3 for the visitors to avoid defeat.
TIP: Over 1.5 Arsenal goals @ 7/25
PREDICTED SCORE: Arsenal 3-0 Qarabag (Priced at 13/2 with 888sport)
CELTIC vs Red Bull Salzburg
Not for the first time, Celtic have had to do things the hard way in Europe. Brendan Rodgers will be determined to lead his side to the Europa League knockout stages but victory won’t come easy here.
6/4 is a solid price for a home win given their incredible European record at Celtic Park. The hosts have been solid enough in recent weeks and their ardent supporters could make the world of difference.
With top spot already secure, Red Bull Salzburg could field a weakened side for this clash. It wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see a few fringe players in action for the visitors.
The 27/25 for both teams to score is a decent bet. Salzburg have the quality to push Celtic close but the Scottish champions should be strong enough to get the job done.
TIP: Celtic to win @ 6/4
PREDICTED SCORE: Celtic 1-0 Salzburg (Priced at 8/1 with 888sport)
*Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*
