AEK Athens vs SL Benfica
FreeToday’s featured game is the UEFA Europa League game in Greece between AEK Athens and SL Benfica. Having now lost two consecutive games domestically at home to bitter rivals Olympiakos Piraeus and Panathinaikos respectively, it’s fair to observe that AEK Athens are now well and truly no longer amongst the elite in Greece. A 4-0 demolition by Everton in their opening UEFA Europa League game indicates that the hosts are in for a tough time in this group. The sending off of Araujo in that game means that one of their key defenders will be suspended for tonight’s game, something else that AEK Athens just didn’t need. Effectively, things are going from bad to worse for the Greek hosts, something that is completely in contrast to visitors SL Benfica. A very much rejuvenated and potent SL Benfica look a frightening opponent for just about anyone at the moment and problematic AEK Athens are far from an exception to this ruling. SL Benfica currently average over three goals per game in all competitions, which extremely impressive! Basically, the attacking prowess of SL Benfica should be far too much for AEK Athens to contend with so the away win at 11/10 looks very favourable indeed.
Thursday’s Picks
My tips:
As ever, below are my recommended value tips for today in no particular order:
AEK Athens vs SL Benfica – away win at 11/10 – see introduction for full details.
Salzburg vs Villarreal – away win at 23/20. A lot of people, myself included, have been justifiably slating Villarreal lately because they’ve been poor etc. However, today I’m going to side with them. They’re playing a Salzburg side that has proven that their only consistency is being inconsistent! Salzburg may have claimed a somewhat surprising victory in Italy against Lazio in their opening UEFA Europa League game but it’s hard to ignore the fact that they’ve failed to beat any of their European opponents this season on home soil. It’s particularly hard to ignore that when you consider that Villarreal are a lot better than Salzburg. This could well be the release that Villarreal need from their constant pressure at the moment and I expect them to shine against a largely unimpressive Salzburg. Odds of 23/20 on the away win here could be a real bargain today.
FC Copenhagen vs Sparta Prague – home win at evens. Two consecutive domestic wins has seen FC Copenhagen dodge their slight dip in form with considerable ease, particularly as one of those victories was an away win at title rivals Aalborg BK. They’ve won every home game in European competition so far this season and look a capable side when they turn up. Visitors Sparta Prague haven’t really got going yet with just three wins in nine league games. They’re not conceding many goals but they’re also scoring very few. Scoring goals is something that FC Copenhagen do very well, averaging over two goals per game at home in the Superligaen and having scored in all of their European home games so far. I’d be more tempted by the draw if Sparta Prague were in better form but I’ll side with FC Copenhagen at evens because they’ve got good momentum at the moment and arguably better players.
Celtic vs Rapid Vienna – lay Celtic at 13/10. This is a risky call but you guys know how much I respect Rapid Vienna, something that was vindicated by their 3-0 drubbing of Germans Hamburger SV in their opening UEFA Europa League game. Today they face an arduous away trip to Celtic Park to take on a Celtic side that not only generally make their home form count but also need it even moreso after throwing away a one goal lead in Tel-Aviv to lose 2-1 to Hapoel Tel-Aviv in their opening UEFA Europa League game. Celtic have done quite well domestically but I still don’t think they’re playing anywhere near as well as they can. Two consecutive Rapid Vienna victories domestically coupled with their demolition of Hamburger SV leaves them with some great momentum and faith in their own ability, which is very refreshing to see as they’re really a very good side. I’m surprised the bookies underrate them so much and perhaps I’ll get burned for such a call but I think laying Celtic at 13/10 holds some serious value if their Austrian opponents turn up as they have done so far in European games.
Nautico vs Sao Paulo – away win at evens. These two sides are at opposite ends of the table and both have different aspirations but both still need three points here today. Hosts Nautico are without a win in four games, a run that has seen them lie very close to the relegation zone. Visitors Sao Paulo have drawn two games consecutively and have been knocked off top spot as a result. Palmeiras now lead them by five points so Sao Paulo need to get back to winning ways to have a chance of finishing above them. There’s a massive gap in quality between these two sides and with both sides needing three points, I expect an open game, which would suit Sao Paulo thus hopefully leading to their victory. Based on the above information, I think the away win at evens possesses some good value tonight.
As ever, any questions/explanations required, feel free to email me at thefootytipster@gmail.com. For the complete picks listing, see below!
UEFA Europa League:
Levski Sofia vs Lazio (6) 1-1
Salzburg vs Villarreal (6) 1-2
FC Twente Enschede vs Steaua Bucharest (8) 2-0
Sheriff Tiraspol vs Fenerbahce (8) 1-2
AEK Athens vs SL Benfica (8) 1-2
BATE Borisov vs Everton (7) under 2.5 goals
Toulouse vs Club Brugge (7) over 2.5 goals
Shakhtar Donetsk vs Partizan Belgrade (8) 2-1
FC Copenhagen vs Sparta Prague (8) 2-0
PSV Eindhoven vs CFR Cluj (8) 2-0
Werder Bremen vs Athletic Club de Bilbao (7) over 2.5 goals
Austria Vienna vs CD Nacional (7) 1-0
Anderlecht vs AFC Ajax Amsterdam (6) over 2.5 goals
FC Poli Timisoara vs Dinamo Zagreb (5) 1-0
Slavia Prague vs LOSC Lille (6) 0-0
Valencia CF vs Genoa (5) 2-2
Hamburger SV vs Hapoel Tel-Aviv (9) -1.75 handicap
Celtic vs Rapid Vienna (4) 1-1
Sporting Clube de Lisboa vs Hertha BSC Berlin (8) 2-0
FK Ventspils vs Heerenveen (7) 1-1
AS Roma vs CSKA Sofia (8) 2-1
Fulham vs Basel (8) 2-0
Dinamo Bucharest vs Panathinaikos (6) 1-1
Galatasaray vs Sturm Graz (9) 3-1
Copa Nissan Sudamericana:
Universidad de Chile vs Internacional (7) 1-1
Emelec Guayaquil vs Botafogo (6) 1-0
Lanus vs Liga de Quito (5) 0-0
Goias vs Cerro Porteno (7) 2-1
Union Espanola vs Velez Sarsfeld (8) 0-0
Fluminense vs Alianza Atletico Sullana (7) 1-0
Brazilian Serie A:
Nautico vs Sao Paulo (8) 0-1
Singaporean S-League:
Albirex Niigate vs Young Lions (7) 2-1
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