None of the trio of British sides left in the competition have a lead going into the 2nd leg – and their opponents are in decent form domestically.
Europa League Betting Markets | Odds |
|---|---|
Lyon to Beat Manchester United | |
Eintracht Frankfurt to Beat Tottenham | |
Athletic Bilbao to Beat Rangers & Both Teams to Score (No) |
Odds courtesy of Stake. Correct at time of publishing and subject to change.
The Ongoing Struggles of Spurs, United and Rangers
All three British clubs in the Europa League quarter-finals have struggled on the domestic front this season. Both Tottenham and Manchester United find themselves languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League. Neither side has a realistic chance of playing European football next season without winning this competition.
Meanwhile, Glasgow Rangers are a distant second to their bitter rivals, Glasgow Celtic, in the Scottish Premiership.
Aside from the three teams likely to be relegated from the Premier League, Tottenham have lost the highest number of league games this season. Ange Postecoglu’s men have lost 17 of their 32 games and won only 11.
Despite being the league’s third top scorers, Spurs have also shipped goals for fun. They’ve also struggled away from home in the Europa League, losing to Galatasaray and AZ Alkmaar and only managing a draw at Rangers.
Manchester United’s season has been similarly dire, despite changing managers mid-season. Ruben Amorim has been unable to turn the tide after Erik ten Hag’s doomed reign.
The Red Devils are only one point better off than Tottenham in the Premier League. Scoring goals has been their biggest challenge. They’ve scored 38, just five more than third-bottom Ipswich Town.
United have found some solace in the Europa League so far this season, remaining unbeaten in their 11 fixtures. However, their frailties were laid bare in their quarter-final first leg in Lyon, when only a last-gasp rally ensured they returned to Manchester on level terms.
The Reds have only kept clean sheets in two of their 11 Europa League games. Considering their schedule includes games against Czech, Norwegian and Romanian teams, this is still a concern as they enter the business end of the competition.
As for Rangers, they have been forced to watch Celtic pull clear in the Scottish Premiership title race. Barry Ferguson’s side are currently 15 points behind Celtic, averaging only 1.63 points per game in their last eight fixtures.
Defensively speaking, Rangers’ goals conceded tally is the biggest issue. They’ve conceded 35 goals in 33 games, only five fewer than fourth-placed Dundee United – and 13 more than Celtic.
Rangers have netted plenty of goals in the Europa League too, despite making the last eight. They’ve conceded 13 goals in 11 games and only narrowly made the quarter-finals after a tense penalty shootout with Fenerbahce.
Rivals in Stronger Form Ahead of Europa League Challenges
Despite United’s unbeaten run in the Europa League, it’s incredible to see the betting markets believe Lyon have only a 22.22% chance of winning at Old Trafford.
Paolo Fonseca’s side have only lost once in the Europa League this season. They are in better shape domestically too, averaging 2.25 points per game from their last eight Ligue 1 fixtures.
Lyon are now just two points shy of second-placed AS Monaco in Ligue 1, with a realistic shout of Champions League qualification. They’ve won seven of their last nine Ligue 1 games, and their only Europa League defeat came to Besiktas in October.
It’s a similarly tough assignment for Tottenham this week, as they head to Germany to face Eintracht Frankfurt. Frankfurt are third in the Bundesliga. Despite falling away from the likes of Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen, Frankfurt are still the best of the rest.
They’ve averaged two goals scored per game in the Bundesliga and have almost matched that figure (1.91) in the Europa League. Frankfurt have a 100% home record in the competition this season too, so Spurs will not have everything their own way.
Finally, Athletic Bilbao are another La Liga success story. They’ve grown stronger domestically as the season’s progressed. In fact, they’ve lost just once since 6th October. They are now favourites to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
On home soil, Bilbao have managed to defeat the mighty Real Madrid this season. Like Frankfurt, Bilbao also have a 100% home record in the Europa League this campaign. They’ve also conceded just two goals in five home games, so that’s why we’re prepared to back them to win with a clean sheet at a bigger price.