Matchday 2, Thursday, October 29
Group A:Â Roma vs CSKA Sofia, CFR Cluj vs Young Boys
Group B:Â Arsenal vs Dundalk, Molde vs Rapid Wien
Group C:Â Slavia Praha vs Leverkusen, Nice vs Hapoel Beer-Sheva
Group D: Benfica vs Standard Liège, Rangers vs Lech Poznań
Group E:Â Omonoia vs PSV Eindhoven, Granada vs PAOK
Group F:Â Real Sociedad vs Napoli, AZ Alkmaar vs Rijeka
Group G:Â AEK Athens vs Leicester, Zorya Luhansk vs Braga
Group H:Â AC Milan vs Sparta Praha, LOSC Lille vs Celtic
Group I:Â QarabaÄź vs Villarreal, Sivasspor vs Maccabi Tel-Aviv
Group J:Â LASK vs Ludogorets, Royal Antwerp vs Tottenham
Group K:Â CSKA Moskva vs Dinamo Zagreb, Feyenoord vs Wolfsburg
Group L:Â Gent vs Hoffenheim, Crvena Zvezda vs Slovan Liberec
Featured Matches:
Feyenoord vs Wolfsburg, 5.55
Feyenoord won’t be too disappointed to have picked up a point away from home against Dinamo Zagreb in their group opener last Thursday, but that result is only satisfactory if they follow it up with a win here. This is the first of two consecutive home games and maximum points from both games is their target. Wolfsburg had to come from behind to earn a point against CSKA on Matchday 1 and they now face difficult away matches against Feyenoord and Dinamo Zagreb. The Austrian side must really tighten up at the back if they are to have a chance of progressing from this section as they have now conceded a total of 14 goals in their last five outings. Wolfsburg have conceded at least one first half goal in each of those five matches and so there could be some value in betting on the hosts to find the net in the first half of this encounter.
Prediction: BTTS @8/13
Royal Antwerp vs Tottenham, 5.55pm
This looks set to be an entertaining contest between two teams who are in great form right now with Antwerp unbeaten in seven matches, while Tottenham have not tasted defeat in their last ten outings. Both of the sides are showing plenty of attacking prowess and so there is a good chance of goals at both ends. Jose Mourinho may rotate his team slightly from the 0-1 victory against Burnley on Monday night, but he has excellent options at his disposal and players who are hungry to make the most of an opportunity when it arises. Antwerp have scored at least two goals in each of their last seven games and the Spurs backline will be put to the test. Tottenham are favoured to come away with maximum points,
Prediction: Tottenham Win @1/2
Arsenal vs Dundalk, 8.00pm
Arsenal have made a far from convincing start to the season and they were almost on the end of a shock loss to Rapid Wien in their opening UEFA Europa League clash last week. They had to score twice in the final 20 minutes to overturn a one-goal deficit in that game but Premier League defeats have sandwiched that victory. They will now take on Irish minnows Dundalk as they bid to make it six points from a possible six to begin their UEL campaign and they should be able to come out on top. Dundalk were valiant in their narrow loss to Molde last week and whilst they will relish this opportunity, the Gunners should be able to earn a comfortable win by at least three clear goals.
Prediction: Arsenal Over 3.5 Goals @1/1
Roma vs CSKA Sofia, 8.00pm
Roma made a solid start to their UEFA Europa League campaign as they overcame Young Boys last week. They had to fight back from a one-goal deficit in the closing third of the game and they were able to build on that in their Serie A clash with Milan earlier in the week, earning a solid point to make it five games without defeat in all competitions. That does not bode well for CSKA Sofia who suffered a 0-2 loss to Cluj in their opening clash and they are now without a win in their last four in all competitions. Roma should be able to take advantage of the visitors’ struggles and they can claim a comfortable win by at least two goals but are likely to concede along the way.
Prediction: Roma+ BTTS @6/4
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