The Europa League group stage begins on Thursday with a number of teams in action. Tom Carnduff picks out four best bets.
Recommended bets
1pt Ercan Kara to score anytime in Rapid Vienna v Arsenal at 10/3
1pt Rangers to beat Standard Liege at 29/20
1pt Leicester to win and both teams to score at 12/5
1pt Gareth Bale to score anytime in Tottenham v LASK at 13/10
For details of advised bookmakers and each-way terms, visit our transparent tipping record
Rapid Vienna v Arsenal
- 17:55 BST on BT Sport 2
- Match odds: Home 17/4 | Draw 3/1 | Away 4/7
Arsenal are fancied to progress far in this competition but their first game could become a struggle as they face a Rapid Vienna side who have started the season in positive fashion.
A 3-0 win over LASK, Tottenham's opponents on Thursday night, in their last outing moved them up to second in the Austrian Bundesliga as they look to challenge Red Bull Salzburg at the top. They have now secured ten points across their first four games and goals have been a regular feature.
Only the reigning champions Salzburg can boast more goals in their opening fixtures with 17 compared to Vienna's ten but this could be a high-scoring contest with neither having issues in front of goal. What could be problematic for Arsenal is that Rapid have scored seven goals in their two home league games so far.
One player who is worth backing at anytime goalscorer odds of 10/3 is Ercan Kara. The forward comes into the contest in fine form after scoring five goals in eight games across all competitions. He also netted 18 in 27 games last season.
The main focus may be on Taxiarchis Fountas for the hosts given his scoring record but the better value comes in backing Kara to strike. The best odds available on Fountas at the time of writing is 2/1 and both players have as good of a chance of scoring.
Arsenal are short odds, and while they are a strong side who may well win the competition, I wouldn't be rushing to back them at a price of just 4/7. Rapid have shown they can compete at home and have a decent run of results, if you ignore the slight blip across a couple of days in June.
The double chance price of 11/8 in their favour is the best outright option but with goals fancied, the best bet comes in backing Kara to strike at 10/3.
Score prediction: Rapid Vienna 2-2 Arsenal (Sky Bet odds: 14/1)
Best bet: 1pt Ercan Kara to score anytime at 10/3
Opta facts
- This will be the first meeting between Rapid Vienna and Arsenal; Rapid Vienna won their last match against English opponents beating Aston Villa 3-2 at Villa Park in a Europa League qualifying match in 2010-11.
- Arsenal’s last Austrian opponents were Austria Wien in the 1991-92 European Cup – they beat them 6-1 at home before losing 0-1 in Austria.
- This is Rapid Vienna’s eighth Europa League campaign, reaching the knockout stages on two occasions previously – 2015-16 and 2018-19.
- This is Arsenal’s fourth consecutive season in the Europa League, reaching the semi-final in 2017-18, the final in 2018-19 and the Last 32 in 2019-20.
Standard Liege v Rangers
- 17:55 BST on BT Sport 3
- Match odds: Home 19/10 | Draw 23/10 | Away 29/20
Rangers have enjoyed a genuinely impressive start to the campaign as they sit top of the Scottish Premiership table after eleven games while also seeing some really positive results in Europa League qualifying.
They struck nine in two games against Lincoln Red Imps and Willem II before beating Turkish giants Galatasaray in their final game to reach the group stages. That has put them in Group D alongside Liege, Benfica and Lech Poznan.
Steven Gerrard's side have only dropped points in two of their 14 competitive fixtures this season, those being draws in away fixtures against Livingston and Hibernian, and they can utilise that momentum as they face a Liege side who have also enjoyed a decent start to the campaign.
They have picked up 18 points from a possible 27 and goals have been hard to come by compared with the rest of the Belgian league. Liege have only scored 13 while conceding seven; we can expect the low-scoring to continue on Thursday night.
The Asian Handicap sitting at 0 shows how the money is uncertain on what way the result will go. That is why the odds on both teams are quite attractive but Rangers' start means the 29/20 available with a couple of bookmakers, 13/10 and 11/8 elsewhere, is too good to turn down.
James Tavernier has been firing and provides a real set-piece threat but Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos have also played their part. It's likely to be a contest where strong defence is required more than attack but Rangers have real momentum heading into this one.
Score prediction: Standard Liege 0-1 Rangers (Sky Bet odds: 8/1)
Best bet: Rangers to win at 29/20
Opta facts
- These sides have met in Europe in one previous campaign, with Standard Liege eliminating Rangers in the European Cup quarter-finals in 1961-62.
- Rangers’ last game in Belgium was a 1-1 draw with Club Brugge in the group stages of the 1992-93 Champions League.
- Standard Liege have failed to successfully navigate the Europa League group stages with each of their last five attempts since reaching the Last 16 in 2011-12.
- Rangers reached the Last 16 of the Europa League last season before Bayer Leverkusen eliminated them – it was the furthest they had gotten in the competition since 2010-11 (also Last 16).
- Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos has scored eight goals in 14 games for the club in the Europa League, although he has failed to score in his last three.
Leicester v Zorya
- 20:00 BST on BT Sport ESPN
- Match odds: Home 2/7 | Draw 4/1 | Away 10/1
We didn't expect to see Leicester feature in this preview given their performances for large parts of the 2019/20 Premier League campaign but a poor finish led to them falling out of the top-four and into the Europa League places.
They won't be too disheartened by it but they go into this game with some injury problems and that has led to them losing their last two games; failing to score in either since the 5-2 hammering of Manchester City at the Etihad.
Leicester should win this one fairly comfortably but the biggest surprise in the markets, with Leicester heavy odds-on favourites, is the fact that Zorya are 6/5 to find the net at anytime. That is a price that would make sense if the Foxes were at full strength. That won't be the case here.
The back line will be missing Ricardo Pereira and Caglar Soyuncu while Wilfred Ndidi, who could slot into centre-back when required, is also an absentee. Wesley Fofana and Jonny Evans will make up the centre-back partnership but it's not ideal and tough decisions could be made with their Premier League form slipping.
While Zorya's start to the domestic campaign has been mixed, they sit ninth after six games, they have been scoring goals with ten coming across those contests.
What is interesting is that both teams have scored in their last five away Europa League contests. They scored three across the two legs against Espanyol last season but that run includes goals against RB Leipzig and Braga, who will line-up alongside them in Group G.
Leicester to win with both teams scoring is a really attractive 12/5 price. The Foxes may have lost their last three at home but Zorya's start to the campaign has been far from convincing; this is a side who managed to edge their way into the Europa League group stage by finishing two points ahead of Desna last season.
The hosts are at -1.5 on the Asian Handicap which highlights how the money fancies them for victory. Given those absentees keeping a clean sheet will be tough, so taking the Foxes with both teams netting is where the best bet can be found.
Score prediction: Leicester 3-1 Zorya (Sky Bet odds: 12/1)
Best bet: Leicester to win and both teams to score at 12/5
Opta facts
- This will be the first competitive meeting between Leicester and Zorya Luhansk.
- Leicester will be facing Ukrainian opposition for the first time in Europe, whilst no English team has ever lost to a side from Ukraine on home soil (P32 W25 D7).
- Leicester will become just the second English side Zorya Luhansk have faced in European competition having lost home (0-2) and away (0-1) to Manchester United during the 2016-17 Europa League group stages.
- Leicester remain winless in the UEFA Cup/Europa League (P4 D1 L3), though this is their first appearance in the competition since 2000-01 – the Foxes are one of 77 sides to have played 4+ games in the competition without ever winning.
Tottenham v LASK
- 20:00 BST on BT Sport 2
- Match odds: Home 4/11 | Draw 18/5 | Away 7/1
Tottenham's spectacular collapse against West Ham last time out may lead some to be tempted to take the big odds on offer for a LASK upset on Thursday; Spurs should bounce back though in comfortable fashion.
The Austrian side travel to North London having struggled on the road so far. They have picked up just one point in their two domestic trips with four goals conceded. To their credit, they did beat Sporting in the qualification rounds to qualify for the group stage.
However, they were hammered 7-1 on aggregate by Manchester United last season and, even with United 5-0 up from the first leg, they still lost 2-1 at Old Trafford with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer making a number of changes.
They were actually a strong side away from home pre-lockdown but they couldn't replicate that form on their travels when football returned. Against a Spurs side out for revenge after throwing away three points at the weekend, they should experience defeat again here.
The Asian Handicap has the hosts at -1.5 which has been backed after opening at -1.25. The money is behind a comfortable home win and it's difficult to argue with that. We have to go up to over 3.5 goals to get an odds-against price so it could be another entertaining night at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
There is a best price of 13/10 with a number of bookmakers on Gareth Bale to score anytime here. The forward came off the bench in that 3-3 draw with West Ham but should be given a start here as he looks to secure regular minutes for this Spurs side with a view to eventually starting every week.
He should have netted to kill off the game late on but dragged a glorious opportunity wide when it appeared easier to score. With two shots coming despite entering the game in the 72nd minute, it's clear that he is eager to add a goal to his tally early on.
LASK should present him with a good opportunity to do just that, and lining up as part of a forward three, the 13/10 odds look generous if he starts. It should be a Tottenham win, but backing them to do that with over 2.5 goals in the game takes the price closer to even money.
Score prediction: Tottenham 3-0 LASK (Sky Bet odds: 17/2)
Best bet: Gareth Bale to score anytime at 13/10
Opta facts
- This will be Spurs’ very first match against LASK; they have faced Austrian opposition on four previous occasions, beating SV Stockerau twice and FK Austria Wien once (D1).
- Spurs were eliminated by KAA Gent at the Last 32 stage in their most recent Europa League participation (2016-17). They have successfully navigated the group stages with each of their last four attempts since failing in 2011-12.
- LASK’s only previous meeting with English opposition was a 7-1 aggregate defeat at the hands of Man Utd in the Last 16 of this competition last season.
- LASK finished top of a group containing Sporting CP, PSV Eindhoven and Rosenborg last season, earning 13 points.
- Spurs striker Harry Kane has scored 28 goals in 50 appearances in major European competition, though he has failed to score in his last four matches in the Europa League.
Odds correct on 1145 BST (20/10/20)
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