While Man Utd’s progress to the knockout stages of the Europa League are in doubt, both Wolves and Arsenal will be keen to book their spots into the latter stages on Thursday.
It’s a tough task for Wolves, who head to Nuno Espirito Santo’s homeland and Braga, while Arsenal and Unai Emery’s woes could continue with a negative result against Eintracht Frankfurt
Read our betting previews on all three ties below.
Selections
Wolves to win 2-1 against Sporting Braga – 9/1
Over 2.5 away goals for Man Utd – 6/4
Arsenal and Eintracht Frankfurt to draw 1-1 – 6/1
Sporting Braga v Wolverhampton Wanderers
Here we have Group K’s top two teams facing off as Wolverhampton Wanderers travel to S. C. Braga where the home outfit are 6/4 favourites to take the three points and subsequently secure a place in the knockout stage of the Europa League.
Wolves had an early scare in the reverse fixture on matchday one but have since put together a good run to leave them in a great position to go on and qualify. This is their first European quest since 1980 and they currently sit on nine points, just one below their opponents here and five points ahead of Slovan Bratislava. A draw would mean a guaranteed place in the knockout phase to complement their recent ascent of the Premier League table.
Having overcome Bournemouth last time out to confirm an unbeaten league run of eight games, they will be high on confidence and if you’re prepared to back Nuno Espirito Santo’s men, a 2-1 win at 9/1 could turn a profit that’s not to be sniffed at.
FC Astana v Manchester United
While it may still seem odd that Manchester United are Europe’s second-tier competition, they made a meal out of beating Astana when hosting them at Old Trafford earlier in the campaign.
That said, Astana went on to lose three more times, including suffering 6-0 and 5-0 losses to Dutch outfit AZ Alkmaar which quashed any hopes they had of progressing.
Meanwhile, the Red Devils haven’t yet let in a goal in Group L and are a decent-priced 2/1 to win to nil. Mason Greenwood, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford all got onto the scoresheet in their side’s last European outing, inflicting a 3-0 defeat over Partizan Belgrade.
Following that match, United also scored three goals in both of their next two games against Brighton and Sheffield United. Over 2.5 goals for the away team can be backed at 6/4.
Arsenal v Eintracht Frankfurt
Arsenal registered a 3-0 win when playing away at Eintracht Frankfurt and despite now facing them at the Emirates, they only need a point to progress while the German side will be battling for survival.
With everything to play for, Frankfurt will not be turned over easily and the 11/4 available for the draw here could well be worth a shot. Their wins against Guimaraes and Standard Liege have left them still in contention for a top-two spot, despite succumbing to an injury-time winner for Liege in Belgium.
Their performance in the Bundesliga has also been respectable but they have shown signs of struggle when playing away from home. All things considered, there is value to be found in the 6/1 for a 1-1 outcome in north London.
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