5 UEFA Europa League Tips - 13/10/22

Our first tip involves a clash between the top 2 sides in Group D, Braga and Union Saint-Gilloise.

Both sides have made great starts to the group stages, with just one loss between both clubs. The hosts have a 100% record so far in this group, having beaten Union Berlin and Malmo by a 1-0 and 3-2 scoreline respectively, before dispatching of Braga 2-1 when these two sides met last Thursday.

The Belgian side will be looking to make it four wins from four this Thursday, and the fact that they have lost just twice in their last ten matches in all competitions shows that they are very likely to emerge victorious from this fixture.

Braga, despite making a strong start to the season with eight wins and one draw in all competitions, have now lost their last three games on the bounce, and so we can’t see them winning against an in-form Saint-Gilloise side.

Our second tip takes us to Group B, where high-flying Rennes take on Dynamo Kyiv. Rennes are currently second in the group but level on points with leaders Fenerbahce, with both of those sides having won two and drawn one of their opening three group-stage games.

A victory for the French side is the most likely outcome here, considering their strong start to the group stages and the fact that they haven’t tasted defeat in any competition since late August.

Their striker Martin Terrier has also made an impressive start to the season with five league goals in ten appearances, and also scoring in Rennes’ last two group stage matches, including a goal in this fixture last week. We back the Frenchman to carry on his goalscoring form in this match, especially against a side that hasn’t picked up a single point so far in the group stages.

Our third Europa League tip takes us to Group E, where minnows Omonia Nicosia make the journey to England to take on Manchester United.

The game played out between these two sides last week was an entertaining one, with Omonia actually taking a shock lead before eventually succumbing to a 3-2 defeat. Despite the loss, the Cypriot side gave a great account of themselves and arguably could’ve ended the match with a draw.

Manchester United followed up that 3-2 victory with a confidence-boosting win over Everton on the weekend, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Antony both scoring. And despite their opponents’ strong showing last time, United should have just too much quality in this one, with the likes of Ronaldo, Antony and Marcus Rashford all likely to start as Erik ten Hag looks to win the group.

Our fourth tip sees Bundesliga side Freiburg travel to the west of France to take on struggling Nantes.

A win here for the visitors would pretty much all but confirm them as group winners, whereas Nantes look likely to drop down into the Europa Conference League due to their third-place position.

The hosts have won just one group stage game and have lost five of their last six games in all competitions, with their last win coming against Olympiakos in this competition at the beginning of September. Freiburg have three wins from three in the group, however, and have not suffered defeat in any of their last six matches.

When these two sides met last week, it was the German side who emerged victorious, with Vincenzo Grifo scoring in a 2-0 win to take his tally in Europe to two in three appearances. So considering he bagged against Nantes last time out, we are backing Grifo to score in this match, alongside Michael Gregoritsch, who has two goals so far in Europe and four domestically.

Our final tip takes us to Group H, where second-place Monaco travel to Turkey to take on Trabzonspor, with both of these sides in desperate need of a win to make it through to the next round.

Monaco are on six points, and a win on Thursday would put them on nine points and in a position where they are likely to make it out of the group and into the knockout stages.

Third-place Trabzonspor are three points behind Monaco having lost one more game, and they will be desperate to make it to the knockout stages rather than face being put in the Europa Conference League.

So despite trailing the Monegasques, a win here would put Trabzonspor level on points with Monaco and put them in a position to qualify for the knockout stage. But Monaco come into the match on better form with five wins from their last six, with one of those wins a 3-1 triumph over Trabzonspor when these sides met last week.

The Turkish side have won three of their last six but have also suffered two defeats as well, so considering Monaco’s form and the presence of players like Wissam Ben Yedder, we back Monaco to win this one.