Europa League Betting Update Before Round of 32 Second Legs

With the Europa League round of 32 first legs out of the way now, the betting markets have been updated ahead of the second leg games this week. There were a few surprising results last week that have affected the odds for outright winner wagers as well as individual game bets – and the competition as a whole is starting to get very interesting.

I am going to take a quick look at what happened in last week’s games and see if there are any new potential wagers to take note of – and any clubs that are starting to emerge as possible outright winners.

Latest Europa League Odds

Chelsea’s win in Malmo sees the English club stay as favorites to lift the trophy in May. But some of the other fancied teams didn’t perform quite as well as expected – and that has had an effect on the outright winner odds. Here’s how the top sides shape up to win the Europa League now according to Betway.

The first thing that really stands out from that top ten list of teams left in the Europa League is that the bookmakers still really fancy Chelsea, Napoli or Arsenal to be successful. The chasing pack are being offered with fairly long odds and an each way bet that halves the price looks tempting for a team like Sevilla, who have a fantastic record in this competition.

Real Betis is another team to keep an eye on. The Spanish side drew 3-3 at Rennes in their first leg game – after being 3-1 down with less than half an hour to go. Those away goals look like they will give the La Liga club an excellent chance to progress.

Inter Milan earned a good 1-0 win away at Rapid Wien but until the confusion over talismanic captain Mauro Icardi is resolved I would be unsure about backing them – even at 12.00. The Inter star didn’t travel to Austria and was stripped of his captaincy amid a contract dispute and I feel that those off the field problems could affect the Italian club if things are not sorted out quickly.

Arsenal’s price has lengthened slightly after their shock defeat away at BATE Borisov. The Belarusian club celebrated as though they had already won the Europa League after beating the English Premier League giants 1-0 in their first leg game. I feel that Arsenal should be way too strong at home – and will progress with ease – but that has made a bet on the Gunners to win the whole thing much more attractive.

I will reveal my betting pick at the end of this Europa League betting update, but first I want to look at a few individual games in an attempt to find some value in the round of 32 second leg ties.

Arsenal vs BATE Borisov

Arsenal will have expected to be preparing for their second leg game with a healthy lead and the chance to rest some key players. But a disappointing performance in Belarus has given the English club a far harder task.

The bookmakers obviously don’t feel like there is too much to worry about – and they are right – but it is not what Unai Emery would have wanted with the race for the European qualification places really starting to heat up in the English Premier League.

He will now have to play his best side – although Alexandre Lacazette will miss out after his red card in the first leg – but Arsenal will win this convincingly and Betway’s price of 2.30 for a home win and total goals over 3.5 looks good to me as I feel they will want have a point to prove after such a woeful first leg result.

Sevilla vs Lazio

Sevilla’s 1-0 victory in Rome was a great result for the La Liga side and although it is a slender lead I feel it is just enough to see them through to the round of 16.

The Spanish club has a fantastic record in the Europa League – winning the competition in three successive seasons from 2014 – and dealt with a tricky round of 32 draw well. The fact that Sevilla only has a one goal advantage going into the second leg is a possible reason why they still attract odds of 10.00 to win the final, but I think that is good value considering that the club made it to the quarter finals of the Champions League last season – and only narrowly went out to Bayern Munich.

The draw is the wager to look at for the second leg game as I feel Sevilla knows that it doesn’t need to win to go through. Lazio is going through a mixed run of form domestically and did not impress away from home in the group stage of this competition – so I think its European campaign will come to an end on Wednesday night.

Chelsea vs Malmo

Malmo’s domination of the Swedish league ended at the end of the 2018 season as they could only finish third behind AIK and Norrkoping – and is now playing its Europa League knock out games during its close season. A 2-1 defeat in the first leg is probably a fairly good result considering, but it has given the Swedish side far too much to do at Stamford Bridge this week.

Chelsea should ease into the round of 16 now and still look good for their favorites tag. With so many good clubs still in the competition it is understandable why its odds to win the Europa League are 5.00 but I feel those will shorten dramatically once we get into the round of 16 – especially if they are treated with a favorable draw.

I can’t see anything but a home victory for Chelsea in the second leg but if you are looking for some kind of value then Chelsea to win and both teams to score at 3.20 looks interesting as I think that Malmo will find the net as they have to go for the win.

Salzburg vs Club Brugge

I have included Salzburg in this round of 32 second leg preview as I feel that it is a club that could do very well in this competition. The Austrian side made it to the semi final stage last season – where it lost to Marseille – and won all six of its group stage games this time around.

Salzburg has won the Austrian league for the last five seasons and is looking very likely to add another title this year. It also has the Europa League’s top goal scorer in Moanes Dabour – and although he didn’t get on the score sheet in the first game against Club Brugge I fancy his chances in the home leg.

Betway are offering 3.20 for Salzburg to win and both teams to score and I think that looks very good value given the strength of these teams.

My Europa League Pick

We now have a slightly clearer picture of how the round of 32 looks after the first leg games – but with so many clubs still in with a chance of going through there is some good value to be found in the outright winner market. That could disappear once the second legs are played this week so now is the time to make those wagers.

With a price of 21.00 to win the Europa League I do like the look of Salzburg as I feel they will fly under the radar of most fans due to their relatively low profile. The Austrian side has proved that it is impressive domestically and in European competition in the last few seasons and could be worth an each way bet at this stage.

But my pick for the Europa League going into the second leg games is Sevilla. For a club with such European pedigree – and in a good position in their tie with Lazio – a price of 10.00 to lift the trophy seems very good value.

Sevilla is another example of a club whose odds will shorten once they progress to the round of 16 so now is the time to make that bet.

My Pick: Sevilla to Win the Europa League 10.00

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Final Words

Although it obviously doesn’t get as much attention as the Champions League, the Europa League is not only a fascinating competition – but also a good opportunity to find some attractive prices when it comes to betting on European soccer.

It has thrown up some real surprises in the last few seasons and promises to be just as interesting this year. Let’s see what the second leg games have in store for us now.