Thursday Europa League betting preview with free bets
Celtic v FC Utrecht – 19:45 BST
Having lost out to Braga in the Champions League qualifying third round, the Hoops now have the chance to have a European adventure in the Europa League instead. The draw could have been kinder to last season’s SPL runners-up, although they will have been buoyed by their 2-1 win over Portuguese opponents at Parkhead a fortnight ago and you can get 4/5 (Bet Fred - £50 free bet) that Neil Lennon’s team win this encounter.
Celtic managed a slender 1-0 victory over Inverness Caledonian Thistle on Saturday and the manager will hope that another clean sheet can be managed so that no away goals are conceded. Lukasz Zaluska looks to be a safe pair of hands and he’s 11/8 (Paddy Power - £20 free bet) to manage a clean sheet against Dutch opponents, while a 2-0 victory in favour of the Glasgow team could be the bet at 15/2 (Sky Bet - £15 free bet).
While Aidan McGeady is on his way to Spartak Moscow, there are plenty of other attacking players to cause the opposition damage. Marc-Antoine Fortune could yet be a hit at Parkhead this season and is 6/1 (Paddy Power bookmaker) to break the deadlock, while Gary Hooper could be set to make his debut and the former Scunthorpe player is 5/1 (Sky Bet bookmaker) to get off the mark in style.
FC Timisoara – Manchester City – 19:45 BST
For the uninitiated, Timisoara are a Romanian football team who have only been in existence for eight seasons. However, they showed in the previous round of the Europa League qualifying that they are no mugs, beating Finnish team MYPA 5-4 on aggregate to reach the latest draw. They will have been encouraged to see City serve up a lacklustre performance against Tottenham on Saturday and are 5/1 (Coral bookmakers) to establish some kind of first leg advantage.
If last season’s European campaign against decent opposition is any yardstick, Dan P?ltini?anu’s team will look to keep things tight in this match, having achieved goalless draws against Stuttgart and Shakhtar Donetsk (who they managed to beat on aggregate). You can get 5/2 with Paddy Power bookmakers that the match finishes all square and it won’t be a problem result for City, who are still getting their act together this campaign.
Mancini’s men looked out of sorts against a vibrant Spurs team last weekend, although the bookies go no better than 4/6 (William Hill bookies) that they come away with the three points here, with Mancini likely to rotate the squad. Carlos Tevez (5/1 Sky Bet bookies) will probably continue spearheading the attack, while Emmanuel Adebayor (5/1 William Hill) is likely to join him, having been on the bench at White Hart Lane.
It might be a little early for Mario Balotelli to be making his debut, although the Italian is 11/2 (Boylesports) if you think he will play and score first.
Liverpool v Trabzonspor – 19:45 BST
The Reds came within a whisker of preserving their 100% record under Roy Hodgson on Sunday, although Pepe Reina’s mistake at the death allowed Arsenal to escape with an unlikely point. Liverpool will be looking to get that result out of their system ahead of Monday’s trip to Eastlands and Boylesports - £20 free bets offer a best price 2/7 that the Merseyside team win this match at Anfield.
Although the Europa League might not be the priority for the club this season, with a place in the Premier League top four surely the holy grail, it’s still the case that Hodgson steered an average Fulham team to the final last term and he might well let Fernando Torres loose in this match. The Spaniard looked bright when appearing as a substitute against the Gunners and he’s 7/2 with Ladbrokes to open the scoring.
Many supporters were puzzled that Steven Gerrard played so deep against Arsenal when he had been so effective for England last week. The Pool captain is 5/1 (Ladbrokes - £25 free bets) to score first in this game, although perhaps we should be sticking to backing David NGog who once again obliged with the first goal at the weekend. The Frenchman looks an exciting prospect and William Hill offer 9/2 that he scores the first goal.
Liverpool’s Turkish opponents are a reasonable side, if not up to the standard of a Galatasaray or Fenerbahce. However, you can back them at 12/1 (Bet Fred) if you think they can pull off a shock. Reina will be determined to keep a clean sheet after his weekend blunder and Sky Bet – £15 free bets offer an enticing 8/11 that this happens, while the Reds are even money with the same firm to win to nil.
Rapid Vienna v Aston Villa – 17:45 BST
The Villans have a chance for revenge against the second-placed team in Austria last season. Martin O’Neill’s team were overwhelming favourites to beat the same opponents at the same stage of the Europa League twelve months ago, although Rapid pulled off a shock and Bet Fred offer 11/4 that Vienna go through to the group stages again.
It will be important for the Austrians to gain some kind of advantage at the Gerhard Hanappi Stadium and the bookies are expecting a closely-fought contest. You can back the home team at 12/5 (totesport) to triumph in front of their 18,000 supporters, while the visitors are 13/10 (Stan James) to make their class tell and strengthen Kevin MacDonald’s case as far as the permanent manager’s role is concerned.
Villa had an excellent start to their Premier League campaign on Saturday, particularly after Martin O’Neill left with such short notice and another bright performance could achieve victory. James Milner (9/1 Sporting Bet - £25 free bet) might yet still be at the club until Manchester City agree terms, although it’s worth backing John Carew to break the deadlock at 11/2 (Paddy Power - £20 free bet), especially as the Norwegian did everything but score against the Hammers.
