Fast Results
Scores
Any Other Bets: Europa League and Conference League tips for Thursday 2 October
Football betting tips: Thursday best bets
1.5pts Tottenham to win and under 4.5 goals (17:45) at 10/11 (Sky Bet, Ladbrokes)
1pt Under 2.5 goals in Ferencvaros vs Tottenham (17:45) at 8/5 (Unibet)
1pt Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to score anytime in Chelsea vs Gent at 10/3 (General)
2pts Over 2.5 goals in Rangers vs Lyon at 4/5 (William Hill)
*20:00 kick-off unless otherwise stated
Ferencvaros vs Tottenham
- Kick-off time: 17:45 BST, Thursday
- TV: TNT Sports 1
- Home 11/2 | Draw 15/4 | Away 2/5
Joe Townsend
Tottenham head to Budapest as general 2/5 favourites to beat Hungary's dominant club as they look to build on an impressive 3-0 win over Qarabag in their opening Europa League fixture, secured very much against the odds after Radu Dragusin's seventh-minute red card.
Ferencvaros have won six straight titles, during which time they've gradually displayed more consistency in Europe, with three successive group-stage exits - before 2020 it had been 15 years since they'd got that far - followed by a run to the Europa League round of 16 in 22/23 and Conference League round of 32 last season.
Their mixed experience of all three levels of continental football during this period means we need to look closely at the opponents they have faced to work out how Thursday's match against a vastly superior Spurs team is likely to go.
Ferencvaros faced both Conference League finalists last season, with eventual winners (and Aston Villa's vanquishers) Olympiakos knocking them out with a pair of 1-0 wins. In the group stage, they secured draws both at home (1-1) and away (2-2) to Fiorentina, leading 1-0 and 2-0 in those matches, only denied victory in the latter by a stoppage-time equaliser.
The season prior, having topped a group containing Trabzonspor, Red Star Belgrade and Monaco - beating the latter 1-0 away and drawing 1-1 at home - their Europa League campaign was ended by Bayer Leverkusen securing 2-0 wins home and away.
All things considered, and with UNDER 2.5 GOALS priced at 8/5, I'm very much willing to back Ferencvaros to make life difficult for Ange Postecoglou's side.
The market's overwhelming certainty that this will be a landslide provides us with the opportunity to get TOTTENHAM onside too by combining an away win with UNDER 4.5 GOALS at a more than inviting 10/11.
Chelsea vs Gent
- Kick-off time: 20:00 BST, Thursday
- TV: TNT Sports 1
- Home 2/9 | Draw 9/2 | Away 15/2
Tom Carnduff
Chelsea's Europa Conference League campaign begins with a visit from Gent - a competition in which anything less than the trophy will be viewed as a disappointment for Enzo Maresca's side.
Five wins from nine leaves Gent sat third in the Belgian Pro League, and even with Chelsea opting for squad rotation in this competition, they should have more than enough for success.
We can expect to see a line-up similar to the one which beat Barrow in the Carabao Cup recently. Despite being the strongest squad by far, the Conference League will be further down the priority list.
KIERNAN DEWSBURY-HALL is likely to be involved for the 90 minutes, making the 10/3 price for A GOAL ANYTIME worth backing.
The former Leicester man has struggled for regular Premier League minutes but he was a crucial part of Maresca's Foxes side which won the Sky Bet Championship title last season.
Dewsbury-Hall netted 12 in 44 appearances, posting a further 14 assists.
He played every minute of their two Conference League qualification games, with one shot coming in their 2-0 home win over Servette, while he also had four shots against Barrow.
He may be playing in a slightly adjusted role, but Dewsbury-Hall should still see chances to strike in a game Chelsea are expected to win.
Rangers vs Lyon
- Kick-off time: 20:00 BST, Thursday
- Home 11/8 | Draw 23/10 | Away 8/5
Jimmy 'The Punt' Cantrill
Rangers defied the odds by beating Malmo in their Europa League curtain raiser last Thursday.
The Gers raced into a 1-0 lead within the first minute and never looked back. The importance of the result for Philippe Clement cannot be underestimated, with the Belgian feeling the squeeze after his side's failure to qualify for the Champions League was followed with a thumping in the Old Firm derby.
Lyon are a much higher calibre of opposition then Malmo best shown by Opta’s Power Rankings:
- Lyon: 52nd
- Rangers: 96th
- Malmo: 176th
Goals look the best way in at Ibrox where OVER 2.5 GOALS is priced at 4/5.
Rangers have not conceded since the trip to Celtic (four games ago) but have been fortunate. Hibernian racked up an xG of 2.16 at the weekend and Malmo squandered a ‘big chance’ (xG greater than 0.35).
Lyon won’t be as forgiving.
The French side have netted two in each of their last three and have only kept two clean sheets in seven games this term.
Odds correct at 1330 BST (2/10/24)
More from Sporting Life
- Fixtures, results and live scores
- Expert xG analysis and features
- Transfer news and done deals
- Football and other sports tips
- Download our free iOS and Android app
- Podcasts and video content
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.