We have reached the Europa League and Conference League phase. Frank Monkhouse, writer specialized in football, analyzes all matches and highlights the best fees and betting markets.
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On Tuesday, Arsenal received the PSG, and on Wednesday they faced Barcelona and Inter Milan. The Europa League and Conference League will have their opportunity to shine on Thursday with the semifinal rounds.
The Athletic Club starts with the advantage of playing at home against Manchester United, after his worked win against the Rangers in the previous round. For its part, Tottenham Hotspur receives Bodø/Glimt in a stadium that, less than a week ago, witnessed the shocking victory of Chris Eubank Jr over Conor Benn. Another duel loaded with intensity is expected … But, will the Spurs achieve advantage in the first leg?
In the semifinals of the Conference League, Chelsea visits the Djurgården, while Real Betis faces Fiorentina.
Here are our forecasts and previous for the great matches of the week.
Athletic Club – Manchester United, jueves 21:00h
Athletic Club seeks to prolong its good moment and end the streak of another British club, this time Manchester United. Bet365 quotas place the Bilbao team as a favorite to take the victory. Meanwhile, the visiting triumph is paid at 14/5, and the draw at 12/5, which leaves a range of interesting options for the apostators.
In the quarterfinals, the team led by Ernesto Valverde exceeded the Rangers (2-0 in the global), thanks to the goals of Oihan Sancet, a penalty just before the break, and Nico Williams, which sentenced in the 80th minute of the second leg in San Mamés.
Athletic currently occupies the fourth position in LaLiga, firm in its goal of returning to the Champions League. Its status is solid, with three victories and two draws in its last six league days.
Manchester United, on the other hand, starred in an epic tie against Olympique de Lyon, imposing himself by a 7-6 global after the extension. After 2-2 in England, a goal by Harry Maguire in the final moments gave the semifinal ticket.
However, in the Premier League, those of Old Trafford go through a delicate moment: they occupy the 14th place and chain five games without knowing the victory. A context that can play in favor of a strong Athletic at home and with greater regularity in its performance.
forecast: Athletic Club Victory (2.00)
Explanation of the bet: the bet wins if Athletic Club wins Inter Milan regardless of the result.
Tottenham – Bodo/Glimt, Jueves 21: 00h
The Tottenham Hotspur prepares to receive in London the revelation set of the competition, the Bodø/Glimt, in a duel that has aroused great expectation. The quotas prior to the meeting, available in Bet365, clearly reflect local favoritism: the victory of the Spurs is paid at 3/10, while the draw is located in a high 5/1. For its part, the visiting triumph is listed to 15/2, a figure that underlines the difficulty of the challenge for the Norwegian team.
In the previous round, Tottenham suffered more than expected to eliminate the recent Europa League champion, the Eintracht Frankfurt, with a global 2-1 adjusted. The English team could not go from 1-1 at home to the Germans and needed a penalty transformed by Dominic Solanke to keep their European aspirations alive.
The tottenham league situation is far from ideal. The team occupies the 16th position in the Premier League, dangerously close to the descent positions. With only 11 victories in 34 games, fans make up, for now, to avoid a possible fall to the Championship.
In contrast, Bodø/Glimt has been one of the great surprises of the tournament. Against all forecast, he eliminated Lazio in the quarterfinals, after a 3-3 overall draw and an exciting penalty batch that ended 3-2 in his favor. The Norwegian team has demonstrated character and ambition, and its presence in the semifinals is fully deserved.
Even so, beating Tottenham in northern London is presented as a capital challenge. The premises, aware that this title could be their only ticket to the next Champions League, face the clash with maximum seriousness. That competitive need could translate into a dominant action in front of his fans.
Forecast: Victoria del Tottenham (1.30)
Explanation of the bet: If Tottenham wins at home, he will get benefits.
Djurgarden – Chelsea, Thursday 21:00
Chelsea travels to Stockholm to play the first leg of the semifinals of Europe Conference League, a demanding scenario against a rival that has proven to be much more than a surprise. Blues are confident of achieving a positive result that allows them to return to Stamford Bridge with advantage, although the challenge will not be simple before an ambitious and tactically disciplined team such as the Djurgården.
The Swedish team starred in one of the great surprises of the previous round by eliminating Rapid from Vienna with a global 4-2. Despite falling 0-1 at home, Djurgården signed a memorable comeback with a 4-1 in Austria. In its domestic league, the Allsvenskan, currently occupies the eleventh position, although it has shown signals of recovery by adding four of the last six points. His last commitment was a 1-0 victory against the Öster, before enjoying a weekend of rest that has served to prepare this important European duel.
For its part, Chelsea starts as a favorite in bets to win the title. The London team eliminated the Warsaw Legia with solvency, imposing itself for a 4-2 global, thanks in large part to a dominant 3-0 victory in the first leg away from home. Since then, those of Mauricio Pochettino have prolonged their good moment, chaining triumphs in the Premier League against Fulham (2-1) and Everton (1-0), which reinforces the feeling that they reach this decisive phase in a clear ascending line.
While it is true that the Djurgården has exceeded all expectations on its way to the semifinals, this confrontation seems to mark a turning point. Chelsea, in full form and with a much higher template in quality and depth, faces this challenge with the motivation to add a new continental title to its showcases. In the light of its recent performance and its solvency away from home, everything points to a visiting victory, possibly with a significant difference in the scoreboard.
Forecast: Chelsea -1 Handicap (1.91)
Explanation of the bet: Chelsea must win by two or more goals to succeed your bet.
Real Betis vs Fiorentina, Thursday 21:00
Real Betis receives his rival of Series A. Will Verdiblancos achieve their status as premises at the Benito Villamarín stadium?
The Betic team aspires to end among the top five of LaLiga and thus ensure a place in the next edition of Champions. With four victories and a draw in its last six meetings, it is just one point of Villarreal and European positions. The team arrives at a great form of form, as evidenced by its overwhelming 5-1 victory against Real Valladolid, just a few days after eliminating Girona with a 3-1 solid. Real Betis crosses a very positive streak.
The Fiorentina, meanwhile, has had an outstanding performance in this edition of the UEFA Conference League, where third group ended with four wins, a draw and a defeat. In series A, the Viola team currently occupies the eighth position, but still maintains real options to classify European competitions. Last Sunday he beat Empoli 2-1 and will compete on Thursday with renewed aspirations.
Although it is still early to anticipate which team will advance to the final in this double game tie, everything indicates that Real Betis could be imposed by a narrow margin in its stadium. The usual fans of European football know that Spanish teams usually show excellent performance as premises, and Betis deserves a place in combined bets.
Forecast: Victoria del Real Betis (1.73)
Explanation of the bet: if Real Betis wins the Fiorentina, his bet wins, regardless of the result or scorers.
The quotas, correct at the time of publication, are subject to changes.
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