With the UEFA Europa League Final in Dublin coming up in less than a fortnight away, we will learn which two teams will contest it.
Here are our betting tips for this week’s semi-final second leg action.
Europa League Betting Tips - Thursday 9 May
UEFA Europa League Double of the Day
Both teams to score
Bayer Leverkusen vs Roma
Both teams to score and over 2.5 goals
Atalanta vs Olympique de Marseille
At 3/1, a £10 bet would return £40.50!
UEFA Europa League acca of the week- 9 May
Bayer Leverkusen vs Roma betting tips
Bayer Leverkusen continue to be completely unbeatable, with Roma on the wrong end of this simply unstoppable force in last Thursday’s first leg.
A week ago, at Stadio Olimpico, Bayer established a surely unassailable 2-0 advantage in the Eternal City.
Florian Wirtz broke the deadlock, punishing Rick Karsdorp’s catastrophic back-pass, before Robert Andrich’s stunning rocket mid-way through the second half doubled die Werkself’s advantage.
I Giallorossi did have opportunities to cut the deficit, the clearest of which fell to Tammy Abraham, heading over from mere picometres out, but 0-2 it finished, leaving Leverkusen in pole position to advance.
12 months ago, the same two clubs met at the same stage of the same competition with Roma marching through to the final back then, Edoardo Bove the tie’s only scorer, but a repeat is now very unlikely.
In their entire 120-year history, Bayer Leverkusen had only ever won two major trophies, beating Espanyol in the final of this competition in 1988, before defeating Hertha BSC Amateure in the DFB-Pokal Final five years later.
Well, Xabi Alonso’s side could eclipse that in just one season, with die Schwarzroten having already clinched the Bundesliga title, while they also have a Pokal Final against Kaiserslautern to come later this month.
Most remarkably, Bayer are doing this without having lost a single match in any competition this season, extending their unbeaten streak to 48 by hammering Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1 on Sunday, equalling the European record set by Benfica in the mid-1950s.
Thus, Leverkusen are now just five games away from completing an undefeated, treble-winning campaign, seeking to rubber stamp their spot in the Europa League Final here.
Roma meanwhile have featured in a European Final in both of the last two season, crowned the inaugural Europa Conference League winners, before defeat to Sevilla on penalties in this tournament 12 months ago.
However, baring an unfathomable turnaround in North Rhine-Westphalia, la Lupa are not going to be making the pilgrimage to Dublin, with their season now in danger of unraveling.
Daniele De Rossi’s side held Juventus to a 1-1 draw on Sunday night, far from a catastrophic result, but have now slipped out of Serie A’s Champions League spots, below Atalanta, who have a game in hand, on goal difference, with the pair set to meet in Bergamo this weekend.
I Giallorossi have not featured in the Champions League since 2018/19 and are currently on course to miss out again.
Here, can Roma become the first team to beat Leverkusen all season, even if it may prove to be too little too late at BayArena?
Bayer Leverkusen to win
1st selection
Both teams to score
2nd selection
Patrik Schick to score anytime
3rd selection
At 4/1, a £10 bet would return £50!
Bayer Leverkusen vs Roma
Atalanta vs Olympique Marseille betting tips
At the same time, 514 miles south, this tie is on a knife-edge, following the first leg at Stade Vélodrome.
A week ago in Southern France, it was Atalanta who struck first with Gianluca Scamacca, who simply can’t stop scoring at the moment, slotting home having been played in-behind by Teun Koopmeiners.
But, Marseille were not behind for long, just nine minutes in fact, because Chancel Mbemba, an unlikely source to say the least, curled home a stunning equaliser, satisfyingly crashing in off the post.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang went close twice after that, while Ismaïla Sarr thought he’d poked home a crucial go-ahead goal, only for it to be ruled out for offside, before Azzedine Ounahi thwacked the adjoinment of post and cross-bar late on, but OM were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw.
Thus, it is now winner takes all in Northern Italy.
Olympique de Marseille are seeking to reach the final of this competition for the fourth time, albeit they’re yet to get their hands on the trophy, defeated by Parma in ‘99, Valencia in ‘04 and Atlético Madrid six years ago.
It’s been a turbulent season for les Phocéens, even by their standards, with Marcelino resigning after just seven games in charge, before Gennaro Gattuso was sacked in February, with Jean-Louis Gasset now at the helm.
In Ligue 1, despite beating Lens last time out, OM currently sit ninth, three points below Lyon, the side occupying the final European spot, so they may have to win this tournament to be back in UEFA competition.
Their run in the Europa League has, to this point, been predicated by home wins, beating Shakhtar Donetsk, Villarreal and Benfica at the Vélodrome, while failing to win on the road in any of these ties.
Overall, Marseille have claimed victory in just two of their last 19 European away matches, in first and second-tier competitions, beating only Sporting CP and AEK Athens since March 2018, hence why they’re now big underdogs to reach the final.
Meanwhile, this is only the second time Atalanta have reached the semi-finals of any UEFA competition, dumped out at this stage of the Cup Winners’ Cup by Mechelen 36 years ago, as a second-tier club back then.
La Dea caused a big upset in the quarter-finals, overcoming Liverpool, courtesy of a famous 3-0 victory at Anfield, and are now on the cusp of a first-ever major European Final.
Domestically, Gian Piero Gasperini’s side already have a Coppa Italia Final to look forward to in just six night’s time, taking on Juventus, aiming to win major silverware for the first time since 1963.
Meantime, following Monday’s 2-1 win over bottom of the table Salernitana, I Nerazzurri have moved up to fifth in Serie A, thereby occupying the last Champions League spot, above Roma on goal difference, with those two clubs facing-off this forthcoming Sunday night.
In Bergamo, Atalanta have ever lost only two of 11 Europa League games, their sole defeat this season coming against Liverpool when, as mentioned, they’d already established an unassailable lead on Merseyside.
So, we’re backing la Dea to become the 11th different Italian club to reach a major European Final, with victory at Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia.
Atalanta to win
1st selection
Both teams to score
2nd selection
Gianluca Scamacca to score anytime
3rd selection
At 11/2, a £10 bet would return £65!
Atalanta vs Olympique Marseille
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