Greeks may bear a gift or two
Slovan Bratislava v PAOK
Thursday 22 August, 20:00
PAOK pushed last season’s semi-finalists Ajax all the way in the Champions League qualifiers, but their dreams of reaching the group stage turned to dust as they were edged out 5-4 on aggregate after a 3-2 second-leg defeat in Amsterdam. Having won their first Greek Super League title since 1985 last season, they must now look to make an impact in the Europa League. They are certainly full of goals – across their European qualifiers and pre-season matches they have scored 30 times in nine games.
Slovan Bratislava have made a 100% start to the Slovakian league season, and having been edged out on penalties by Montenegrin side Sutjeska in the UCL qualifiers, the champions dismissed Dundalk in the most recent round of UEL qualifiers. Slovan have scored at least three times in every single league game so far, and they are yet to draw a blank in any of their six European qualifiers.
Slovan almost always score, while PAOK have shown they can score freely but struggle to keep clean sheets. I’ll go for Both Teams To Score here at [1.98].
Academy to fail their test
Avan Academy v F91 Dudelange
Thursday 22 August, 16:00
Luxembourg isn’t exactly known for its glittering football reputation, but Dudelange did superbly to reach the group stage of the Europa League last season, and will have picked up a lot of experience by doing so. This season, they have already managed some impressive results in qualifying. They beat Macedonian side Shkendjia in Macedonia, and they won home and away against Estonian side Nomme Kalju. Last season, they knocked out Romanian outfit Cluj and Polish giants Legia Warsaw.
On that basis, Dudelange certainly won’t fear taking on Armenian side Avan Academy, or FC Ararat-Armenia as they have become latterly known. Last season they won the Armenia title, which isn’t bad for a club that was only founded two years ago. They have overcome sides from Gibraltar and Georgia so far in qualifying, but this feels like their biggest test, and they lost their last home qualifier against Saburtalo Tblisi.
Dudelange are the [3.2] outsiders here, so I’ll back them Draw No Bet at [2.22].
Portuguese party on the cards
Braga v Spartak Moscow
Thursday 22 August, 19:45
Both of these teams have strong European pedigree, so this is a mouth-watering tie. Braga have been regular entrants to the Europa League in recent seasons, and they reached the final in 2011, ultimately losing to Portuguese rivals Porto. Spartak Moscow have had a couple of Champions League campaigns in the last few years, and they were in a highly entertaining UEL section last term with Rangers, Villarreal and Rapid Vienna.
Lively starts to the season have been the order of the day in Moscow and in Braga. Spartak have seen five of their last seven games in all competitions feature at least three goals, and an overs bet has landed in four of their last five Europa League outings. Braga’s tie against Brondby in the previous qualifying round was full of goals (it finished 7-3 on aggregate), and they have started their Primeira Liga campaign with a 3-1 win over Moireirense and a 2-1 defeat at Sporting.
At [1.93], I think Over 2.5 Goals is an attractive bet.
We can be Partizan and back the hosts
Partizan v Molde
Thursday 22 August, 20:00
Partizan Belgrade have seen neighbours and bitter rivals Red Star (or Crvena Zvezda if you prefer) catch the eye in Europe recently, including securing a famous victory against a Liverpool side that would go on to win the Champions League.
How Partizan would love to emerge from that particular shadow, and I believe they can take another big step towards the UEL’s group stage by winning the first leg of this tie. They have won their last four home matches in all competitions, scoring at least three times in all four games.
Molde are joint top of the Norwegian Eliteserien, but their European results away from home have been distinctly underwhelming so far. A 3-0 defeat inside 90 minutes at Aris Salonika nearly cost them their place in the Europa League, and they were also held to a goalless draw at Icelandic side KR. Overall, Molde have won just two of their last seven away games in the UEL, a run that stretches back just 13 months.
I’ll back the hosts to win here at [1.81].
Source: BetFair Tips
