The following Europa League games are postponed:
Sevilla’s game with Roma and Inter’s tie with Getafe have both been postponed due to travel restrictions between Spain and Italy.
Please note that the stated odds are correct as of 4 pm 11/03/20 and are subject to change.
One of the three early kickoffs will see Turkish side Istanbul Basaksehir host Copenhagen. Basaksehir earned their place in the round of 16 thanks to a fantastic comeback against Sporting Lisbon, where their 3-1 first leg defeat was met with a 4-1 home victory in the second leg to give them a 5-4 aggregate victory.
Copenhagen earned their place thanks to their 4-2 aggregate victory over Celtic. The Danish side don’t go into the tie in the best run of form as they have lost their last two games and considering that Basaksehir have won 11 of their last 15 home games.
The Danish side will have their work cut out in Turkey, meaning it could be three defeats in a row for Copenhagen. Sky Bet are offering a 4/5 price on a Basaksehir victory.
Another early start happens over in Germany, as last season's Europa League semi-finalists, Eintracht Frankfurt, host European regulars, Basel. Frankfurt go into the tie with a good home record, having won five of their last six home games, including a 4-1 victory over RB Salzburg in the round of 32.
Basel, on the other hand, will be looking to change their recent poor form, as the Swiss side have suffered four defeats in their last six away games. Once again, a home victory looks the most likely fixture and you can back Eintracht Frankfurt at 8/13 with Sky Bet.
The final early kick-off sees Manchester United travel to Austria to face LASK in a game that will be played behind closed doors at the Linzer Stadion due to the spread of the coronavirus. Despite many never having heard of the LASK before this season, they are by no means a team to be taken lightly as they find themselves top of the Austrian Bundesliga, losing just two of their last 21 games in all competitions.
Despite LASK’s stellar form, United will go into the tie with equally positive spirits, thanks to the recent Manchester derby win which means Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men are now undefeated in their last 10 games in all competitions. At the time, the Red Devils have bagged 17 goals within this time and conceded just twice, forcing them closer to Champions League football for next year.
Ever since the addition of Bruno Fernandes, which has completely revitalised the entire club from top to bottom, United have put themselves as the favourites to win the Europa League at 7/2, just ahead of Inter Milan who are 9/2. At the same time, the English side are 6/4 to reach the final, making there 10/11 price tag for tonight one to consider.
It does seem as if the puzzle is coming together for the Red Devils, with Fernandes certainly turning out to be the piece of the jigsaw they have needed the most.
Despite not being officially postponed, Wolverhampton Wanderers’ trip to Greece to face Olympiacos faces the potential of being called off as a result of the Olympiacos owner, Evangelos Marinakis, testing positive for coronavirus. There has also been public concerns from the likes of Wolves captain Conor Coady ahead of the clash at the Karaiskakis Stadium, which is certainly worth staying away from for the time being.
Olympiacos did, however, produce one of the shocks of the tournament so far when they knocked out Arsenal with a 118th-minute goal at the Emirates in extra time forcing them through on away goals. The Greek side will once again go into the fixture with confidence as they have won 11 of their last 13 home games, with their first leg defeat to Arsenal being their only defeat in that period.
Wolves will travel to Athens with equally high spirits, as Nuno Espirito Santo’s men earned their place in the round of 16 thanks to a very impressive 6-3 aggregate victory over Espanyol in the round of 32, including a 4-0 win at Molineux.
It should also be noted that Olympiacos have scored in 14 of their last 17 games and that Wolves have scored in 29 of their last 35 games, so it could be worth going for both teams to score (BTTS), with Sky Bet offering evens on that being the case.
The only Scottish involvement left in the competition sees out of form Rangers host Bayer Leverkusen at Ibrox in their round of 16 first leg. Steven Gerrard’s side have gone completely downhill after they moved within a point of Celtic when they won the Old Firm at Celtic Park in December.
Rangers have lost failed to win six of their 16 games since and even had to come from two goals down against Braga at Ibrox in their last Europa League fixture at home. However, their form at Ibrox is excellent going into the game, as they have won 15 of their last 19 games at home, including five wins in the Europa League this season.
Leverkusen, on the other hand, is one of the toughest draws out there this Europa League season, as the Germans have won 11 of their last 12 games in all competitions, including a 4-3 victory over Borussia Dortmund in February. Rangers are 23/10 to win at home, which is definitely worth considering when you take into account their stellar home form. The Bundesliga side are 11/10 to get the win here, however, which is perhaps a wise acca builder.
Once again, it’s difficult to find a winner here, so once again we should look at BTTS, as Rangers have scored in 17 of their last 19 games and how Leverkusen have scored in their last 13 games. Bet365 are offering a 7/10 price on BTTS should you wish to back it.
The final game of the Europa League first legs this Thursdays concludes in Germany as Wolfsburg host Shakhtar Donetsk. Wolfsburg will fancy their chances in the first leg as they have won six of their last eight games in all competitions and are undefeated in as many games. At the same time, Wolfsburg have seen themselves fall further away from the Champions League spots in the Bundesliga, meaning they are now 13 points from fourth and could perhaps see the Europa League as their best route to Europe's elite competition.
As for Shakhtar Donetsk, they travel to Germany in relatively positive form, winning four of their last six games, including a 2-1 victory over Benfica in their round of 32 first leg. The Ukrainian side are 13/5 to win at the Volkswagen Arena, whilst the home side are a very tempting price of evens.
Eight of Wolfsburg’s last 10 games and three of Shakhtar Donetsk’s last six games have had over 2.5 goals, so it could be worth looking at this game to have over 2.5 goals as well, which you can back at EVENS with Bet365.
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