Europa League Tips: Paddy trader’s best bets for ALL 4 of Thursday’s matches

Paddy's football trader Emmet O'Keeffe casts his steely gaze over Thursday's Europa League matches with our pals at PPTV.

*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widget, while in-copy odds are accurate at the time of publication but subject to change

Manchester United v Granada

United had a very comfortable victory where they didn’t have to exert themselves very much in the first leg. I can see Ole Gunnar Solskjaer making five or six changes for this match and one we can certainly expect is Mason Greenwood to start at No.9 having started on the bench at the weekend.

Thursday 8pm: Manchester United v Granada
BT Sport 2

I think we’ve started to see Greenwood really show some of the huge promise that he possesses over the last few games. He scored in Manchester United’s last two Premier League matches and, playing as a No. 9 here, we can expect him to get a few chances. I like Greenwood to Score First. That looks a decent price to me.

Roma v Ajax

If you’re looking for a game with plenty of goals and a bit of excitement on Thursday evening this is definitely the game. Ajax created enough chances to hammer Roma in the first leg but ended up losing 2-1, a bit like some of the Brighton games people have probably watched this season.

Thursday 8pm: Roma v Ajax
BT Sport 3

I can see this being quite a similar game. Roma play quite an attacking, open, style and so do Ajax. I can see this being very open. I can see Ajax creating a similar number of chances as they did in the first game and they’ll be hoping for slightly better finishing.

The way I’d look for a bet here is Ajax to Win and Both Teams to Score. A 2-1 victory for Ajax would send us to extra time and they might even nick it 3-1.

Villarreal v Dinamo Zagreb

I think it’s tough to see Dinamo Zagreb giving Villarreal much trouble. Former Arsenal manager Unai Emery has a really successful track record in Europe and I can see them going close again this year. Villarreal dominated the first leg and I can see them keeping Dinamo at arm’s length here. In terms of a bet, the angle I’m looking at is the Villarreal forward Gerard Moreno.

Thursday 8pm: Villarreal v Dinamo Zagreb
BT Sport ESPN

He has a brilliant goal scoring record this season and he’s level with Karim Benzema and Luis Suarez in the La Liga top scorer charts at the moment. It’s very, very difficult for strikers outside of Spain’s traditional big three to have any chance so that tells you how well he’s playing. He scored the only goal in the last game and I’m backing Moreno to Score Anytime.

Slavia Prague v Arsenal

The thing that really concerns me here is Arsenal’s injuries. I think we’ve seen this year there are two Arsenals. There’s the Arsenal of Emile Smith-Rowe, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard and there’s the slow, stagnant Arsenal. It looks like all three might miss this game.

Thursday 8pm: Slavia Prague v Arsenal
BT Sport 1

Given the injuries, I think Slavia Prague look a fair price to Qualify here. They’ve already beaten Leicester and a pretty good Rangers team. Even though Arsenal had the better of the first leg, Slavia did show that they can create chances. Given their injuries I think Arsenal are very hard to fancy here.

Emmet’s Europa League tips

Manchester United v Granada – Mason Greenwood to Score First
Roma v Ajax – Ajax to Win and Both Teams To Score
Villarreal v Dinamo Zagreb – Gerrard Moreno to Score Anytime
Slavia Prague v Arsenal – Slavia Prague to Qualify

*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widget, while in-copy odds are accurate at the time of publication but subject to change

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