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Europa League QF 2nd Leg Acca – 14th April
After last week’s first leg ties in the Europa League quarter finals, you could not get four more evenly matched and perfectly set ties for the second leg of each game.
Three of the four games last week finished 1-1, the only one that didn’t was the Braga v Rangers tie which ended in a narrow 1-0 win for the Portuguese side over the Scottish team.
What that means is that seven days later on, all four of the ties are delicately poised after the first leg and there is all to play for on Thursday.
The British teams have a tough task to move through to the semifinals. West Ham did very well to secure a draw at home considering they were reduced to ten men at half time after Aaron Cresswell was sent off, but Rangers loss means that the Glasgow giants need to put their poor recent form behind them to land a two-goal win in the home leg to reach the semifinals.
Barcelona should be confident of getting the result they need against Frankfurt in the home leg, while the Atalanta v Red Bull Leipzig tie could go either way with the Italians home form in Europe so inconsistent they could win the game easily or be thrashed!
So this set of tips is going to be a bit tougher than usual I think but I have done my usual and worked through the stats to come up with the following tips for the games on Thursday.
Remember, all games kick off at 5.45pm this week for some reason, so get your bet on early to avoid missing out.
For me, this is the game that is likely to make or break the acca this week. Atalanta are a very good side, but they do have a tendency to stutter at home, especially in Europe against good teams. They were thrashed 5-1 by Liverpool at home, but then beat the Reds 2-0 at Anfield and they have had similar results against other teams over the years too. The problem for Red Bull Leipzig is that they are a team that are as likely to concede five goals as they are to score them. I was surprised the first leg was as cagey as it was in Germany and on balance and looking at that Atalanta attack I think the Italians will just about edge it, but don’t be fooled this is a very tough one to predict.
Barcelona (1) v (1) Eintracht Frankfurt – Home Win
Barcelona earned a solid draw in the first leg in Germany and I think that makes the Catalans the clear favourites to progress here with the second leg at the Nou Camp. This team under Xavi has been re-invigorated by some astute signings, such as that of Aubameyang and Traore, plus the return to form of players like Dembele and not only are they much improved in La Liga, but they are now flying in this competition. The one issue here could be that Barca’s best performances have been in away legs in recent times, but even so I am backing them to land a win at home to move into the semifinals.
Lyon (1) v (1) West Ham – Home Win
I thought West Ham did very well to claim a draw against Lyon last week, especially after Aaron Cresswell was sent off on half time forcing them to play the entire second half with ten men. Had the Hammers stayed at 11, I think they’d have taken a narrow lead into the second leg. However, Lyon showed enough quality in the first leg to suggest that they are going to be a very tough prospect here and while I would love for West Ham to make it through, and the Hammers do have a chance, I think the sensible option here is for a narrow Lyon win on the night to send the French side into the semifinals.
Rangers (0) v (1) Braga – Draw
Rangers defeat in Portugal was a rare away loss for them in Europe this year and I think that does make this second leg in Glasgow a great deal more difficult for the home side, especially given the relatively poor run of form that they have been in over the last five games or so (losing three). They face a Braga side who have won their last three and who are now very experienced in Europe. Rangers best chance may be to get the Ibrox crowd involved and if they can, they could turn this tie around. However my concern is the defence and I think Braga have enough quality to snatch a goal on the counter attack and claim a draw, which would see them earn a place in the semi finals.
Author: Dean Wyatt
Dean Wyatt is the founder and editor here at Acca Nation. He’s been betting sports for over 20 years and is a profitable sports trader on the exchanges.
four more evenly matched and perfectly set ties for the second leg of each game.
