Europa League Betting: Ole to pass on the scoring touch

Zenit v Molde
Thursday 23 August, 17:00

Zenit have already pulled off one of the most remarkable comebacks we’ll see in European competition this season. Having been trounced 4-0 in Belarus against Dinamo Minsk, Zenit turned the tie on its head back in Russia, winning 4-0 inside 90 minutes of the second leg, and 8-1 after extra time.

Molde may feel a bit aggrieved to have landed such a difficult draw when the group stage is within touching distance, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men have every reason to think they can score in this game. They have scored at least twice in nine of their last 12 matches in all competitions, and both teams have found the net in six of their last ten outings.

Zenit have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last two home games, and I think Molde can extend that run.

I’ll back both teams to score at [2.1].

Rosenborg v Shkendija
Thursday 23 August, 19:45

It’s been a strange old start to the season for Rosenborg. After popular and successful coach Kare Ingebrigtsen was harshly jettisoned after a sticky spell, the players and fans campaigned unsuccessfully for him to be reinstated. The Trondheim club then crashed out of the Champions League to Celtic.

However, under interim boss Rini Coolen (the academy boss), things have settled down. RBK have won four of their last five matches, and all four wins were by at least two goals.

Shkendija were dumped out of the Champions League by Salzburg, and they are winless in five in all competitions. They have failed to score in four of those outings.

This is a Shkendija team that were thrashed 4-0 at Welsh side The New Saints, so they shouldn’t pose any problems for an experienced Rosenborg. I’ll back the Norwegians -1 on the Handicap at 11/10 on the Sportsbook.

Basel v Apollon
Thursday 23 August, 19:00

Basel have work to do to re-establish themselves as the premier club in Switzerland. They lost their Swiss Super League title to Young Boys last season, and they are already five points adrift of the champions in this season’s title race.

However, there is every reason to think they’ll perform well on Thursday. They have won their last five games in all competitions, and in the last round of the UEL qualifiers they beat Dutch side Vitesse home and away. They have won their last three home matches, scoring eight goals in the process.

Apollon are yet to start their domestic campaign in Cyprus, but they have come through three rounds of qualifying in the Europa League. They lost the away legs against Stumbras and Dinamo Brest, which doesn’t bode well for Thursday. It’s also worth noting that in the group stage of last season’s Europa League, they were smashed 4-0 at Lyon and beaten 3-1 at Atalanta.

I’ll back Basel -1.5 on the Asian Handicap at [2.2]

Zorya v Leipzig
Thursday 23 August, 19:30

RB Leipzig have come down to Earth with something of a bump. This time last season they were preparing for their first ever Champions League campaign, but now they are trying to battle their way into the Europa League group stage. Midfield dynamo Naby Keita has gone, as has coach Ralph Hasenhuttl, and the club’s performances so far have been something of a mixed bag.

At the weekend they fell behind at lower-league Viktoria Koln before fighting back to win 3-1, and on the road in the UEL they have been held to draws at Swedish side Hacken and Romanian outfit Universitatea Craiova.

Zorya should provide RBL’s biggest test yet. They have contested the group stage in each of the last two seasons, and they did superbly to knock out Portuguese side Sporting Braga in the previous round. They only lost one of their three home games in the group stage last term, and against a Leipzig side that’s still adapting to the demands of sporting director-turned-coach Ralf Rangnick, they’ll fancy their chances.

I’ll lay the visitors at [1.6].