Our Europa League Tips for the Round of 32 Second Legs

On Thursday night Manchester United take on Spanish side Real Sociedad at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils come into this fixture with a 4-0 lead from last week’s first leg which took place in Turin, which ultimately means that the tie on paper is as good as done due to the four away goals they scored through Bruno Fernandes (2), Marcus Rashford and Daniel James.

We expect to see a changed lineup from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, as United face a tricky test at Stamford Bridge on the weekend, so he will want to optimize his side’s chances of a good result in the league to solidify their place in the top four.

Amad Diallo is expected to make his first start for United since getting his work permit in the January transfer window, having being signed from Atalanta for €40m in the summer.

The Ivorian is said to have impressed United’s staff a lot due to his performances in Premier League 2, where he scored three goals and made three assists in just two matches, hence why he made his debut last time out against La Real, coming on as a late substitute.

Diallo is priced at 13/5 to score anytime when United play Sociedad at Old Trafford.

Arsenal face Benfica in what is a must-win game for the Gunners, as their season ultimately hinges on the Europa League if they are to stand any chance of qualifying for the Champions League.

The first leg in the Stadio Olimpico finished 1-1 as Bukayo Saka’s quick response cancelled out Pizzi’s opener for the Portuguese side from the spot in the 55th minute, meaning that the Gunners have a vital away goal going into the second leg in Greece.

At present Benfica are in woeful form, as they are fourth in Liga NOS, just one point ahead of Pacos De Ferreira in fifth, and they are 15 points behind runaway league leaders Sporting Lisbon.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has had a poor season for his standards, however, he is expected to start against Benfica and will be looking to build on the hat-trick that he scored against Leeds United earlier this month.

Rangers against Royal Antwerp provided viewers of the Europa League with arguably the best comeback of the first leg in the round of 32, as Steven Gerrard’s side recovered from being 2-1 and 3-2 down to win 4-3 via a stoppage-time Borna Barisic penalty in Belgium.

This first leg itself shows that both teams have the capability to score against each other in the second leg at Ibrox.

Gers have been outstanding in the SPL this season, scoring 73 goals in 30 matches, which has seen them earn 82 points out of a possible 90, with 26 wins and four draws.

Rangers are priced at 15/8 to beat Royal Antwerp with both teams to score, as they did in Belgium.

AS Roma take on Sporting Braga at the Stadio Olimpico in the second leg of the round of 32.

The Italian side come into this match with a 2-0 aggregate lead thanks to goals by Edin Dzeko and Borja Mayoral at the Braga Municipal Stadium, which essentially means that the tie is not over, so Roma will be expected to field a similar team to that which did the job in the first leg.

Dzeko as mentioned above scored the first goal in Roma’s win in Portugal, which was the Bosnian striker’s ninth goal of the season.

The former Manchester City man is priced at 7/2 to score first or last when Roma face Braga on Thursday night.

Bayer Leverkusen against Young Boys provided us with one of the most entertaining matches last Thursday, as Leverkusen came back from 3-0 down against the Swiss champions with goals from Patrick Schick (2) and Moussa Diaby, only to lose to an 89th-minute winner by Theoson Siebatcheu.

The German side comes into the second leg as firm favourites to progress despite being stunned by Young Boys the first time around.

The likes of Leon Bailey could play a pivotal role if they are to progress to the round of 16. Jamaican winger Bailey has scored five goals in seven Europa League matches this campaign, which currently sees him as the fourth top scorer in the competition. The 23-year-old has scored 11 goals in 30 matches in all competitions and is priced at 5/2 to score in a Leverkusen win.