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Europa League Group Stage Round One Betting Tips
On Thursday 14th September, the Europa League group stages return to our tv screens with Arsenal and Everton set to represent the UK in matches against FC Koln and Atalanta respectively.
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Freebets.com have taken the time to find a terrific value treble, choosing from the 24 opening group stage matches of the campaign. Our picks come from English, German and Serbian teams who are all performing in home matches.
The first of our selections is for Julian Nagelmann’s Hoffenheim to defeat Sporting Braga of Portugal at home. Hoffenheim were the story of the season in the Bundesliga last season, almost securing automatic Champions League qualification before a disappointing last day draw saw Dortmund capitalise. Hoffenheim’s competitive home record is 12 wins out of a possible 17 at the Wirsol Rhein-Neckar-Arena.
At the weekend, Hoffenheim shocked the world with an impressive 2-0 win over champions Bayern Munich and we fancy them to carry on that run against Braga. The Portuguese side finished 28 points behind champions Benfica last season, scarcely competing for a top three spot while Hoffenheim very nearly made the Champions League this season. At odds of 4/9, the German outfit are a terrific pick.
Our second pick is for Arsenal to win against struggling Bundesliga side FC Koln. Arsene Wenger’s side have won 13 of their last 16 home matches in all competitions and are nearing full fitness once again – only Santi Cazorla is a certain long-term absentee, with Calum Chambers and Alex Iwobi on the recovery. Arsenal beat Bournemouth in a comfortable 3-0 win at the Emirates last weekend, while Koln slipped to bottom of the Bundesliga with a third successive loss, this time to FC Augsburg.
Arsenal may be under criticism for losses to Liverpool and Stoke City, but those losses were on the road and the Gunners have an exceptional amount of depth for the Europa League. Koln are a much worse side than they were last season – odds on Arsenal to win at 7/20 is pretty solid.
Our final selection is for Red Star Belgrade, also known as Crvena zvezda, to defeat BATE Borisov at home. Red Star have already seen off Floriana, Irtysh Pavlodar, Sparta Prague and Krasnodar to qualify for this competition after a revival in the Serbian SuperLiga last season, and they’ve started their domestic campaign with six wins and one draw from seven matches. In Europe, they have won all four of their home matches against one or two teams who are arguably stronger than BATE.
At odds of 3/4 with most bookies, Red Star are worth lumping on and they complete this superb 7/2 treble with William Hill.
