Antwerp and LASK to put on a show
Antwerp v LASK Linz
Thursday 05 November, 20:00
Live on BT Sport
Both Antwerp and LASK Linz caught the eye on Matchday Two. Antwerp produced a fine display as they beat Tottenham 1-0, and they should have won by a bigger margin. LASK raced into a 4-1 lead against Ludogorets, but were made to sweat as their lead was reduced. Eventually, they manged to win 4-3.
Antwerp have won both UEL group games so far, and although they lost 1-0 at Anderlecht in the Belgian top flight at the weekend, they are still having a fabulous campaign so far. At home, they have won four of their last five games in all competitions. They performed superbly against Tottenham, and fully deserved their victory.
LASK were swept aside 3-0 by Spurs in their last UEL away game, and I still don’t think they are the quite the same team that threatened to break the stranglehold of Salzburg last season.
I think there’ll be goals here, and we can back in-form Antwerp to score at least twice on the Sportsbook at evens.
Romans to beat Romanians
Roma v CFR Cluj
Thursday 05 November, 17:55
Live on BT Sport
Roma’s 2-0 win over Fiorentina at the weekend reinforced what has been a strong start to the campaign for the Giallorossi. Paulo Fonseca’s side have put together a seven-match unbeaten run in all competitions, they are well placed in Serie A, but they do still have work to do in the Europa League.
A 2-1 win at Young Boys was followed by an uninspiring 0-0 draw with CSKA Sofia at the Stadio Olimpico, so while Roma are on track to qualify for the last 32, they could do with a convincing victory. Their general results in the Italian capital have been good this term – they hammered Benevento 5-2, drew 2-2 with champions Juventus, and saw off Fiorentina.
CFR Cluj have shown they can be awkward opponents at this level. They have put together a seven-match unbeaten run in the UEL, and last season they only lost to the eventual Europa League winners Sevilla on away goals, after a pair of draws. However, Cluj are six points off top spot in their domestic league, and they lost at home to Gaz Metan at the weekend.
I think Cluj will make life difficult for Roma, and it’s worth noting that ten of their last 11 games in the UEL have featured fewer than three goals. I think Roma will edge a close one, and we can back a Roma/Under 3.5 Goals double on the Sportsbook’s Same Game Multi at 2.03.
COVID-hit Dinamo can still pick up first win
Dinamo Zagreb v Wolfsberger
Thursday 05 November, 20:00
Live on BT Sport
It’s been a tough start to the European season for Dinamo Zagreb. They were one of Ferencvaros’ high-profile victims in the Champions League qualifiers, and they have started the UEL group stage with goalless draws against Feyenoord and CSKA Moscow. The loss of Dani Olmo to Leipzig has been keenly felt, but the Croatians are still well clear at the top of their domestic league. Ahead of this game, Dinamo have been hit with a COVID-19 outbreak, with nine players testing positive at time of writing.
Austrian side Wolfsberger pulled off a shock win at Borussia Monchengladbach last season in the Europa League, and last week they pulverised Feyenoord 4-1 in Rotterdam, with Michael Liendl bagging an impressive hat-trick. However, we can’t ignore their poor domestic form. WAC have collected just six points from six games, and have conceded at least three goals in defeats to LASK, Salzburg and Rapid Vienna.
Dinamo haven’t lost at home in the UEL for six years, and in the UCL group stage last term they hammered Atalanta 4-0 and drew with Shakhtar Donestk in a game they should have won. I think they are overpriced to take the win here at 2.8615/8, but with the COVID-19 absences in mind, I’ll go for Draw No Bet at 2.0811/10.
In-form sides to entertain
Leicester City v Braga
Thursday 05 November, 20:00
Live on BT Sport
After some stellar performances, especially away from home, people are starting to speculate that this could be another terrific season for Leicester City. They demolished an excellent Leeds United side 4-1 on Monday, shredding Marcelo Bielsa’s team with their pace and precision in attack. In the Europa League, they have dismissed Zorya 3-0 and ground out a 2-1 win at AEK Athens.
Braga are also performing well, having won their last six games in all competitions. They have rattled in 13 goals in the process, and they are chasing a fourth consecutive away success in all competitions.
While Leicester are full of goals at the moment, they have lots of injuries in defence, and they have only kept two clean sheets in their last nine games. I’ll back both teams to score here at 1.774/5.
Source: Betfair Europa League
