This week, European football has returned with a bang, and there is no better market to enjoy than the forthcoming Europa League quarter-finals if you’re looking for good value.
We’ve taken a look at the four games on offer and picked a bet at odds of 5/1 or better in three of them.
Get ready to invest in the action and be sure to register as a new customer with Paddy Power before the first match-ball is booted into the stands for a risk-free £20 bet.
Let’s head to Holland first as we look at the game between two of football’s best-supported teams.
Dušan Tadić to score the Last Goal in Ajax vs. Roma (11/2)
Former Southampton legend Dušan Tadić is 32 years old now, but while he may have lost a little of his pace, he’s lost none of his striking prowess, converting to something of a clinical finisher for the Dutch side in recent times. So far this season, he’s scored 22 goals in 41 games, including three in the four Europa League games he’s played.
Playing as a left wing-forward, the irrepressible Tadić takes the Eredivisie champions spot-kicks, and they’ve scored these in the second half recently. If a late penalty is awarded in favour of the home side, as it has been in, you’re laughing. Tadić has netted either the penultimate or last goal in four of Ajax’s last five games, all of which they’ve won.
Arsenal to Win From Behind vs. Slavia Prague (17/2)
On the face of it, these odds might seem unkind purely on the basis that The Gunners are such big favourites to win the tie. Slavia Prague are a very strange side, however, and have posed British sides problems that neither high-flying Leicester City or newly-crowned champions Glasgow Rangers could overcome.
While Slavia are unlikely to progress further than this stage, they could well surprise an Arsenal side who have looked lacklustre, particularly in defence recently. If the Czech side open the scoring, Arsenal will have to come out and attack to win the game, for fear of the away goal proving pivotal.
Bruno Fernandes to score, 5 Corners Each and Yangel Herrera to be carded in Granada vs. Manchester United (25/1)
Of the three bets tonight, this is our favourite, if only for the fact that the odds should never be this long and might not be so for too much longer if enough punters notice.
Manchester United go into the game against Granada in decent form, even if they’re not playing the kind of free-flowing football that they were before Paul Pogba’s injury earlier in the season.
We expect United to win this pretty comfortably, and that adds up to a few occurrences becoming more than likely to take place. Firstly, Bruno Fernandes simply has to score. Deadly from the spot, the Portuguese is dominating the midfield and scoring goals from open play too, so having him to get on the scoresheet makes total sense.
If United score early – and we think they will – then Granada have to come out and play, meaning both sides should easily be taking plenty of shots and forcing corners, with two excellent goalkeepers guaranteed to be in the sticks on each side of the pitch no matter who Ole Gunnar Solskjaer picks.
Finally, Yangel Herrera is an absolute lock for a yellow or red card if he is pulled out of position and with United fast on the counter-attack, this looks highly likely to happen. We’d back this as a single bet too, because with seven bookings in his 26 games so far this season, the 23-year-old Venezuelan has a rash challenge in his locker.
Make sure that you register as a new customer and claim your risk-free £20 bet on Paddy Power before the Europa League games get under way.
May all your bets be live until the final whistle!
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