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Europa Conference League tips
- Aston Villa to beat Ajax and BTTS – 15/8 bet365
- Fiorentina to beat Maccabi Haifa and over 3.5 goals – 15/8 BoyleSports
- Fredrik Gulbrandsen to score any time vs Club Brugge – 9/2 Betway
- Viktoria Plzen to beat Servette by one goal – 11/4 BoyleSports
- Fourfold pays 135/1 with BoyleSports
The Europa Conference League will be whittled down to eight after Thursday night’s round of 16 second leg matches.
Just as in the Europa League, there were more than a fair share of one-sided games across the first legs, but there is still plenty to play for in a bid to reach the quarter-finals.
Aston Villa are leading contenders with football betting sites to win the Conference League, although their tie with Ajax hangs in the balance.
We’ll look at that contest and three others in our Europa League Conference predictions, which can be put together in a fourfold that pays out at 135/1 with BoyleSports.
Aston Villa vs Ajax
(8pm, TNT Sports 2)
Aston Villa and Ajax played out a goalless draw in the first leg and both teams ended the game with 10 men after Ezri Konsa and Tristan Gooijer were dismissed for two bookable offences.
Villa enter the return match off the back of a 4-0 hammering at the hands of Tottenham in the Premier League, a damaging result for their Champions League qualification hopes.
John McGinn was sent off for a horror tackle on Destiny Udogie and will miss his side’s next three league games, although he will be available for the Ajax showdown. Unai Emery’s side are not heading into the game in a good place.
But, neither are their opponents. Ajax needed a late Brian Brobbey goal to avoid defeat to Fortuna Sittard in Eredivisie at the weekend.
John van 't Schip’s men scraped past Bodo/Glimt after extra time in the last round of the Conference League, while their form on the road has been suspect, suffering a 3-2 defeat to Heerenveen recently.
Villa have been up and down since Christmas and their once steady defence has been creaking. Ajax are equally suspect at the back, so we could see a high scoring game at Villa Park.
Betting apps price up both teams to score at 4/5, but we like the value of adding a Villa win to the mix at odds of 15/8 with bet365.
Aston Villa vs Ajax Tip: Aston Villa to win and BTTS – 15/8 bet365
Fiorentina vs Maccabi Haifa
(5.45pm, TNT Sports 8)
These two sides played out a seven-goal thriller in the first leg with Fiorentina claiming a narrow lead in the tie ahead of the second leg at Stadio Artemio Franchi.
Maccabi Haifi held the lead twice on home soil at 2-1 and 3-2 but could not prevent the Italian outfit scoring two late goals, while midfielder Show was sent off for two bookable offences.
The Israeli side have to overturn a deficit against a Fiorentina team that has a formidable home record, losing only once in their last 10 matches, which came at the hands of runaway Serie A leaders Inter.
The Italian outfit have scored at least two goals in their four home Conference League matches this season, including a 6-0 hammering of Cukaricki.
Maccabi Haifi followed up their disappointing result with an equally damaging defeat in the Ligat Ha’al to Maccabi Bnei Raina, leaving them five points behind Maccabi Tel Aviv at the top of the standings.
Messay Dego’s men can take heart from the damage they inflicted against Fiorentina in the final third, although they were exposed themselves at the back.
Betting sites make the hosts overwhelming favourites for the win, so to get better value, we’re going to pair a Fiorentina win with over 3.5 goals at odds of 15/8 with BoyleSports.
Fiorentina vs Maccabi Haifa Tip: Fiorentina to win and over 3.5 goals – 15/8 BoyleSports
Club Brugge vs Molde
(8pm, TNT Sports 10)
It’s advantage Molde after the first leg of their round of 16 duel against Club Brugge. The Norwegian outfit took the lead through Halldor Stenevik before Maxime de Cuyper equalised from the penalty spot with five minutes to play.
However, Fredrik Gulbrandsen changed the context of the tie with a late strike, once again highlighting his value in the final third. Gulbrandsen was the difference maker in the play-off round in Molde’s triumph over Legia Warsaw.
The 31-year-old scored four goals over the course of that tie, and he proved his worth in the Conference League after failing to make much of an impact in Molde’s domestic campaign.
He was also on point in the Europa League before Molde’s exit, scoring twice against Hacken. There is something about performing on the European stage that brings out the best in Gulbrandsen and Club Brugge will have to be on guard.
There is value to be had by backing Gulbrandsen to score any time at 9/2 with Betway, and he serves as the third leg of our Europa Conference League accumulator.
Club Brugge vs Molde Tip: Fredrik Gulbrandsen to score any time – 9/2 Betway
Viktoria Plzen vs Servette
(5.45pm, TNT Sports 9)
Plzen and Servette played out a goalless draw in their first-leg clash. The result ended winning runs for both sides as Plzen saw a four-game winning streak snapped, while Servette's sequence of five straight victories came to a halt.
Both teams are in good form domestically and cancelled each other out at the Stade de Geneve.
Servette may have seen the result as a missed opportunity and now need a strong road performance to advance to the quarter-finals.
The Swiss outfit did edge out Ludogorets in the play-off round following their exit from the Europa League and have not conceded in three Conference League games to date.
Plzen, though, boast a formidable record at home in Europe this season, winning five of their six games without conceding, scoring 12 goals in the process.
This could give the Czech side the advantage on the night, and we’re backing them to edge their way to victory by a one goal margin at odds of 11/4 with bet365.
Viktoria Plzen vs Servette Tip: Viktoria Plzen to win by one goal – 11/4 bet365
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Last Updated: 14th March 2024, 07:22 AM
