Europa League Betting: Back Romans to conquer Gaul

Lyon v Roma
Thursday March 09, 20:05
Live on BT Sport

After a difficult week, the Europa League has become Roma's most realistic chance of acquiring silverware this season. A 2-1 home defeat to Napoli meant the Giallorossi lost further ground on Serie A leaders Juventus, even though Juve were held at Udinese. There is now an eight-point gap at the top of the table. Roma also lost the first leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final 2-0 to bitter crosstown rivals Lazio, so their hopes in that competition hang in the balance.

However, a recent win at Inter Milan and a stunning 4-0 victory at Villarreal (a team with the best defensive record in Spain) in the last 32 of the UEL showed what Roma can do, and I believe they can make a similar statement at Lyon on Thursday night.

Lyon thrashed a poor AZ team 11-2 on aggregate in the last 32, but they are a very inconsistent side. They recently went out of the Coupe de France at Marseille, and they lost their discipline completely in a 2-0 derby defeat at St Etienne.

When Lyon click, they are very good, but in the Champions League they lost 1-0 at home to Juventus, and drew 0-0 against Sevilla in a game they needed to win. Lyon aren't impregnable at home, having lost six times in all competitions this season at their glittering new home, and I think they may struggle against a Roma team that will be more or less at full strength save for the suspended Toni Rudiger and long-term injury victim Alessandro Florenzi.

Recommended Bet
Back Roma Draw No Bet at 2.12

APOEL v Anderlecht
Thursday March 09, 18:00
Live on BT Sport

APOEL caused one of the shocks of the last 32, as they dumped out Spanish side Athletic Club. The men from Bilbao took a 3-2 lead to Cyprus, and promptly lost the second leg 2-0. Had Athletic forward Inaki Williams taken any of the hat-trick of early chances that came his way, the story may have been different, but APOEL showed an admirable mix of grit and adventure in both legs.

Anderlecht were on the verge of tumbling out of this competition, as they were 3-0 down at Russian side Zenit, and 3-2 down on aggregate. Up popped Isaac Kiese Thelin to score a 90th-minute header, and Anderlecht went through on away goals.

The Belgian giants have some very good players, but away from home they only drew at Mainz and St Etienne in the group stage, and at this stage of last season's competition they went down 3-1 at Shakhtar Donetsk. In all competitions they have only won one of their last four away games, and with a raucous atmosphere once again expected in Nicosia, I think the hosts can grab a first-leg lead.

Recommended Bet
Back APOEL Draw No Bet at 1.96

FC Copenhagen v Ajax
Thursday March 09, 18:00
Live on BT Sport

This tie brings together two clubs that are used to winning their domestic championships, but have had little recent success on the continental stage. Copenhagen certainly didn't disgrace themselves in the Champions League, but were beaten to the top two spots by Leicester City and Porto. They beat fellow UCL dropouts Ludogorets 2-1 on aggregate in the last 32 of the UEL, winning 2-1 in Bulgaria and drawing 0-0 in Denmark.

I've been burned a couple of times this season backing goals in Ajax games, so I'm trying to learn my lesson. Three of their last four UEL games have seen a "No" bet pay out in the BTTS market, and that's true of six of Copenhagen's last eight European fixtures. Indeed, three of Copenhagen's home fixtures in Europe this term have ended 0-0.

Recommended Bet
Back No in the Both Teams To Score market at 1.85

Gent v Genk
Thursday March 09, 20:05
Live on BT Sport

So here it is, the proofreader's nightmare, Gent v Genk. Gent surprised many people (including me) by dumping Spurs out of the competition in the previous round, while Genk saw off Romanian side Astra.

If we look at the recent history between the clubs, it seems highly unlikely that there will be many goals. Their last five league meetings have featured fewer than three goals, including a 2-0 home win for Genk in December, and a 1-0 home win for Gent in August. You have to go back to 2013 for the last time there were three goals in a game between these sides in Gent. It's also worth noting that Gent have only conceded nine goals at home in the league, while Genk have only scored 12 times on the road.

Recommended Bet
Back Under 2.5 Goals at 1.78