Just four clubs remaining in contention to reach this season’s UEFA Europa League Final in Dublin.
Here are our betting tips for this week’s semi-final first leg action.
Europa League Betting Tips - Thursday 2 May
UEFA Europa League Acca of the Day
Both teams to score
Roma vs Bayer Leverkusen
Both teams to score
Olympique de Marseille vs Atalanta
At 2/1 a £10 bet would return £30.60!
UEFA Europa League acca of the week- 2 May
Roma vs Bayer Leverkusen betting tips
It’s widely accepted that the the sequel is generally never as good as the original, although this rematch is highly-likely to be more entertaining this time round.
12 months ago, these same two clubs met at the same stage of the same competition, with Roma, in vintage José Mourinho fashion, grinding out a 1-0 aggregate victory, with Edoardo Bove the only scorer.
Fair to say, plenty has changed at both clubs in the subsequent 350 days, but will this two-legged affair have the same outcome?
Roma are on the cusp of reaching a European final for a third successive season, having won the inaugural Europa Conference League, before being beaten on penalties by Sevilla in last year’s Europa League Final.
Despite his continental exploits, poor domestic performances saw Mourinho sacked in January, with Daniele De Rossi’s appointment, initially on an interim basis, having the desired impact.
I Giallorossi have won nine of 14 Serie A matches under ‘capitan futuro’, losing only two, so currently sit fifth, clinging onto the final Champions League spot, with huge games against Juventus and Atalanta coming up.
In this competition meantime, la Lupa have ousted Feyenoord on penalties and hammered Brighton 4-0 in the Eternal City, before impressively overcoming AC Milan in the quarters, winning 1-0 at San Siro and 2-1 at home.
To date, only ten clubs have reached the final of a major UEFA competition in three successive seasons:
Real Madrid, AC Milan, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Ajax, Juventus, Benfica, Sevilla, Parma and Anderlecht are the clubs to have achieved this, with Roma potentially about to joint this very select group.
That said, standing in their way in this semi-final is Europe’s form team, a side who simply cannot be beaten.
Bayer Leverkusen have played 46 matches across all competitions so far this season, winning 38 of them and drawing eight, breaking the undefeated record for a team operating in one of Europe’s top-five leagues.
Die Werkself wrapped up a very first Bundesliga title almost three weeks ago, hammering Werder Bremen 5-0, but have kept the unbeaten streak going, courtesy of stoppage time equalisers against both Borussia Dortmund and Stuttgart subsequently.
In total, they’ve now scored 13 outcome-altering goals in the 89th minute or later.
So, Leverkusen will be presented with their maiden Meisterschale later this month, while they’re also on course for a treble, with the DFB-Pokal Final against second-tier strugglers Kaiserslautern also to come.
In this competition, Xabi Alonso’s side were almost dumped out by Qarabağ in the round of 16, Patrik Schick scoring three stoppage time goals across the two legs as they snuck through 5-4 at the last.
Then, in the quarter-finals, die Schwarzroten proved to be too strong for West Ham, scoring two more late goals in a 2-0 home win, before Jeremie Frimpong’s late equaliser in London sealed progression.
Thus, Bayer travel to Rome seeking to reach just a third European final in their entire history, capturing this trophy in 1988 before losing the Champions League Final against Real Madrid at Hampden in 2002.
So, can Alonso’s team preserve their miraculous unbeaten streak, or will Roma establish a first leg advantage at Stadio Olimpico, thereby becoming the first team to beat Bayer since 27 May last year?
Bayer Leverkusen to win or draw
1st selection
Both teams to score
2nd selection
Paulo Dybala to score anytime
3rd selection
At 7/1, a £10 bet would return £80
Roma vs Bayer Leverkusen
Olympique Marseille vs Atalanta betting tips
While all the focus and fanfare is on the other semi-final, what an opportunity this is for both of these two teams to reach the final in Dublin.
Olympique de Marseille are, to date, the only French side who’ve been crowned European champions, beating AC Milan in the Champions League Final of 1993, although PSG could change that fact in the coming weeks.
Les Phocéens have also reached the final of this competition on three occasions, although they’re yet to get their hands on the trophy, defeated by Parma in ‘99, Valencia in 2004 and Atlético Madrid six years ago.
As they seek to make it fourth time lucky, OM have so far overcome Shakhtar Donetsk, Villarreal and Benfica in the knockout stages, coming through a nerve-shredding penalty shootout in the quarter-finals.
Following a 2-1 defeat at Estádio da Luz, Faris Moumbagna was then the only scorer back in France, so to penalties we went.
Joaquín Correa, Geoffrey Kondogbia, Leonardo Balerdi and Luis Henrique all converted from 12 yards, but Pau López was the hero, pulling off a crucial save that sent OM through.
Meantime, following a mixed run of results, Jean-Louis Gasset’s team sit seventh in Ligue 1, Sunday’s 2-1 win over Lens hauling them into the final potential European spot, but les Olympiens may need to go all the way in this tournament to be back in UEFA competition next season.
Marseille are unbeaten at home in Europe this season, winning six of seven matches, scoring 19 goals and conceding eight, so will feel a first leg victory at Stade Vélodrome is of paramount importance.
Atalanta meantime have reached the last four of a European competition for just the second time in their history, previously dumped out in the UEFA Cup semi-finals by Mechelen 36 years ago.
To get this far, Gian Piero Gasperini’s side topped their group unbeaten and then ousted Sporting CP 4-3, before really announcing themselves to a wider audience by hammering tournament favourites Liverpool.
Gianluca Scamacca bagged a brace as la Dea claimed a famous 3-0 victory at Anfield, making their 1-0 defeat in Bergamo a week later a mere footnote.
Domestically, Atalanta are sixth in Serie A, just outside the Champions League spot, while they’ll also face Juventus in the Coppa Italia Final later this month, dreaming of lifting silverware for the first time since 1963.
Despite their lack of continental expirence, certainly in comparison to their opponents, with the second leg in Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia to come, most make la Dea favourites to reach the final.
Thus, from a Marseille perspective, it’s imperative they continue their winning run at home.
Olympique de Marseille to win or draw
1st selection
Both teams to score
2nd selection
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to score anytime
3rd selection
At 11/4, a £10 bet would return £37.50!
Olympique de Marseille vs Atalanta
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