Thursday Europa League Accumulator Betting Tips, Prediction: 16 February 2023
The Europa League returns on Thursday with the last 16 playoffs. To mark the occasion, our football writers have selected five Europa League last 16 playoff matches for a five-fold football accumulator.
Thursday Europa League Accumulator Prediction
Red Bull Salzburg vs Roma
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Red Bull Salzburg and Roma will meet for the first time on Thursday night in the Europa League playoffs last 16 first leg. Salzburg joined the Europa League after finishing third in their Champions League group behind Chelsea and AC Milan.
Roma, the reigning Europa Conference League winner, were second in their Europa League group behind Real Betis. The Giallorossi are unbeaten in back-to-back games going into Thursday's match with Salzburg. Roma drew 1-1 away to Lecce at the weekend in a game they really should have won.
Red Bull Salzburg are the top team in Austria once more. They go into the game on Thursday unbeaten in four straight games, with three of those matches ending as wins. Salzburg have lost just three of 27 matches this season in all competitions. Those defeats were against Sturm Graz, Chelsea, and AC Milan.
Red Bull Salzburg can hold their own with the big boys of European football these days. Four of their six Champions League games ended BTTS. Five of Roma’s six Europa League group-stage games ended BTTS. Goals could be scored by both sides, and our tip is to back BTTS.
Sporting CP vs FC Midtjylland
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Sporting CP host FC Midtjylland to kick off their playoff tie. The Lions of Lisbon have struggled for consistency this season and crashed out of the Champions League, finishing third behind Tottenham and Eintracht Frankfurt.
FC Midtjylland finished their group stage in second place behind Feyenoord. Now, the Wolves are aiming to knock off Sporting. This will be their first head-to-head meeting in over 20 years.
Sporting CP are fresh off a 2-1 home loss to FC Porto in the Portuguese Primeira. Two of their last four games in all competitions ended in defeat but both matches were against FC Porto.
FC Midtjylland are winless in three straight games in all competitions ahead of their trip to Portugal. The Wolves drew nil-nil with Randers at the weekend. FC Midtjylland are not a strong away team and have a record of four wins, eight draws, and three defeats on the road.
Sporting have posted 12 wins and five losses from 17 home matches. Our betting tip is to back Sporting CP for the full-time win, as FC Midtjylland continue to struggle.
Bayer Leverkusen vs Monaco
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It is a big Europa League last-16 tie between Bayer Leverkusen and Monaco. Bayer join the Europa League playoff round after a poor start to the season. Coach Xabi Alonso joined the club halfway through the Champions League group stage campaign and nearly turned things around.
The former Liverpool, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich midfielder is now aiming to get the team into the Europa League proper. Monaco finished Europa League Group H level on points with Ferencvaros but ended in second place due to head-to-head points.
Monaco are in good form, as they go into the weekend fresh off a Ligue 1 win over Paris Saint-Germain by a score of 3-1. Les Monegasque are unbeaten in nine straight games and each of their last three matches ended as wins.
Bayer Leverkusen defeated Hoffenheim 3-1 in the Bundesliga last time out. The victory ended a two-game losing streak in the league. Six of Monaco’s last seven games in all competitions finished BTTS. The French club has conceded goals and away to Leverkusen could do it again. Alonso has made Leverkusen’s defence stronger, but against an in-form Monaco team, our tip is for both teams to score.
Sevilla vs PSV Eindhoven
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Sevilla may finally be on the right track domestically, as they slowly move away from the relegation zone. Los Rojiblancos are up to 12th and can now focus on their Europa League last 16 playoffs versus PSV Eindhoven. Sevilla are the kings of the Europa League and are always dangerous in the competition.
PSV Eindhoven finished behind Arsenal in Group A by just two points. The Lightbulbs picked up a home win over the Premier League club 2-0, showing they can win big games. However, PSV Eindhoven sold several top players in the January transfer window, including Cody Gakpo to Liverpool. This isn’t the same PSV Eindhoven team under manager Ruud van Nistelrooy.
PSV are unbeaten in four straight games with three of those matches ending as wins. They smashed FC Groningen 6-0 at the weekend in the Eredivisie. Sevilla won two of their last three games, keeping clean sheets in the process.
Sevilla do not score many goals at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan. They tallied just 16 goals in their opening 14 games. Twelve straight Sevilla games ended the first half with NO BTTS. Our betting tips prediction is for a first-half low on goals and NO BTTS in the opening period.
Shakhtar Donetsk vs Rennes
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Shakhtar Donetsk will host Rennes in the first leg of their last 16 playoffs in Warsaw, Poland. The Ukrainian club is still unable to play at home due to the war in Ukraine. Shakhtar finished behind Real Madrid and RB Leipzig in the Champions League group stage. They played two heavyweights of European football with a mostly Ukrainian team.
Rennes go into the game on a two-match losing streak. The Black and Red fell 3-1 in both games, losing to Lille and Toulouse, respectively. Each of Rennes’ last four games ended with over 2.5 goals scored.
Shakhtar Donetsk have not played since late November. They have been on a winter break and may not restart their European campaign on the front foot. Before going on a winter break, Shakhtar saw three straight matches in the Ukrainian Premier League finish with over 2.5 goals. Our betting tips prediction is for over 2.5 goals.
