Basel - Molde Betting Preview: Back strong Swiss to overcome Norwegian opposition

Aug 8, 2012 2:30:00 PM

Heiko Vogel's men are in a good position after securing a 1-0 away win in last week's first leg against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side. Willie Duncan fancies them to finish the job

Swiss champions Basel were victorious in Norway last week against Molde to put themselves firmly in the driving seat ahead of the Champions League third qualifying round second-leg meeting between the sides at St Jakob-Park on Wednesday night.

Heiko Vogel’s team provided one of the biggest shocks of last year’s edition when a 1-0 home victory over Manchester United saw them eliminate the English Premier League giants.

They can be backed at 41/100 (1.41) with PanBet to secure a victory in this match that will ensure that they move one step closer to the group stage once more.

Molde were forced to struggle with just 10 men for long periods in the first leg, before finally succumbing to a late strike but, nonetheless, this looks to be a tough assignment for the Norwegians.

That is reflected in the 8/1 (9.0) quote from PanBet for a Molde victory here. The same firm go 15/4 (4.75) that the contest ends all square.

Despite sitting just four points from the top of the Eliteserien, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side are unlikely to take much comfort from their away form this term.

His side have won just three of their nine away matches in the league, while they were also held 1-1 by Latvian minnows Ventspils away from home in the previous round.

Basel have plenty of experienced professionals with the likes of Marco Streller and Alexander Frei and, in short, they should prove to be simply too good for their Norwegian visitors.

Subsequently, the 23/20 (2.15) quote from PanBet for the hosts to lead at both half time and full time looks like great value, while the 81/50 (2.62) for the Swiss side to win to nil certainly looks to be an interesting proposition.

Basel can book their place in the Champions League play-offs in style and the 7/1 (8.0) quote for Heiko Vogel’s men to enjoy a comfortable 2-0 victory represents decent value.

BET

OF THE

DAY

BEST BET

VALUE BET

Basel to lead at half time and full time at 23/20 (2.15) with PanBet

Basel to win 2-0 at 7/1 (8.0) with PanBet

Sign up PanBet for a £25 free bet.

Willie Duncan is a freelance sports journalist. Willie, from Edinburgh, has covered Scottish football for over 10 years and he specialises in football betting markets from across Europe. You can also follow Willie on Twitter

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