This Thursday marks the end of fixtures all across Europe. As teams meet for the second round of quarter-final fixtures in the UEL. The Conference league will also see its second round of fixtures in the quarter-finals today and this would be an entertaining one to watch.
There is an abundance of fixtures to choose from for this today’s selections. We have carefully curated the best selections for our readers today.
Straight Wins.
Ferencvaros can be a tough opponent which they already proved this season, however, when it comes to the favorites in this Ferencvaros vs Bayer Leverkusen prediction, it’s all about the German team. Coach Xabi Alonso transformed Bayer’s fortunes, and since his arrival, things have dramatically changed for the better. The team won twice in a row in the Bundesliga, but they are still lacking some points to put them in a position to fight for European placement next season. Thus, their main road to get there is via Europa League. The Germans won the first leg with a goal on either side of the half-time, and with a 2-0 advantage they are looking good for progressing to the quarterfinals. Ferencvaros has been struggling at home lately losing this past weekend to Puskas Academy at home. Bet9ja have 2.00 odds, Paripesa have 2.10 odds and 1xBet have 2.10 odds.
Feyenoord and Shakhtar Donetsk meet in Rotterdam to contest the second leg of their Europa League Round of 16 ties on Thursday, March 16th. The teams are deadlocked at 1-1 ahead of their second encounter in the Netherlands. Feyenoord secured a useful 1-1 draw against Shakhtar Donetsk in last week’s first leg, though the Dutch side should have won after they racked up a huge 21 attempts to their opponent’s five. However, back in Rotterdam, we expect Arne Slot’s side to make their dominance count. De Stadionclub has yet to lose a competitive fixture on home soil this term, and our first Feyenoord vs Shakhtar Donetsk prediction backs them to shine in front of their supporters again on Thursday. Bet9ja have 1.50 odds, Paripesa have 1.54 odds and 1xBet have 1.54 odds.
As predicted, West Ham had no difficulties securing a cozy win over AEK Larnaca in Cyprus. Now, AEK Larnaca will have a mountain to climb in England as they embark on an impossible mission – scoring three in London. The game at AEK Arena wasn’t as one-sided as we make it out to be but it’s the result that counts in football, not how you performed. A lovely Michail Antonio brace proved decisive as West Ham recorded a comfortable win over their Conference League rivals.
With an opener in the 36th minute of the game and a final goal on the stroke of halftime, Michail Antonio hinted he’s still a top dog when it comes to scoring. His sheer presence on the pitch on the 16th of March will boost West Ham’s chances to crush AEK Larnaca once more. Bet9ja have 1.24 odds, Paripesa have 1.23 odds and 1xBet have 1.23 odds.
After the acceptable 1-1 result in Belgium, the Yellow Submarine is now going to torpedo Anderlecht in Spain. The visitors have nowhere to run as Villarreal is among the top Spanish club this season and anything less than a convincing win over Anderlecht will be met with disappointment by the fans at Estadio de la Ceramica. The 1-1 score in Belgium was a bit misleading as the visitors were slightly more convincing than their rivals. With 56% possession, 564 passes, and five shots on target, they deserved the victory more, but that’s football. Bet9ja have 1.44 odds, Paripesa have 1.44 odds and 1xBet have 1.44 odds.
AZ Alkmaar will be optimistic about securing their place in a sixth European quarterfinal after a 2-1 victory in Italy last week. The Dutch team can build on that success at home, where they have won six of their past nine games and are unbeaten during 90 minutes. Given that Lazio will play in a crucial derby match against Roma in Serie A at the weekend, where both bragging rights and retaining a top-four berth would be on the line, it would be understandable if they let this match go. We are concerned about their road performance in Europe, where they have lost twice while being winless in four games. AZ Alkmaar should win this tie again today. Bet9ja have 2.86 odds, Paripesa have 2.87 odds and 1xBet have 2.87 odds.
Over 2.5
The Belgian club keeps writing its best days in its history, and now the ultimate challenge awaits playing at home against a Bundesliga side that barely survived the first leg without losing. Even though the first game of Union St. Gilloise vs Union Berlin ended with six goals, that doesn’t have to mean that something like that will happen in the return leg as well. This prediction is based on the fact that the Belgian side has been playing games with plenty of goals in the last few weeks.
Four of their last five league matches went over the 2.5 goals mark while when we look at the entire season, they are one of the best ‘over’ teams in the top ten European leagues with 20 of those matches compared to nine in the other direction. Union Berlin is on the other side of the spectrum with 13 ‘over’ games which is a bottom three rank in the Bundesliga. Bet9ja have 1.95 odds, Paripesa have 2.12 odds and 1xBet have 2.12 odds.
If the rematch between these two teams is even as half as entertaining as the clash at Stadio Olimpico was, we’re in for a treat. The match in Rome ended with a thrifty 1-2 win for AZ Alkmaar and it’s a result that puts the Dutch in pole position to advance to the next stage of the tournament. Nevertheless, even without goalscorer-in-chief Ciro Immobile, Lazio remains a force to be reckoned with. Despite losing the game at home, Maurizio Sarri’s boys were the better of the two on the pitch. They had 15 shots at the target and certainly deserved to score more. Bet9ja have 1.26 odds, Paripesa have 1.28 odds and 1xBet have 1.28 odds.
The 2-0 victory over Ferencvaros by Bayer Leverkusen in the first match was entirely deserved. They were the clear favorites and ought to have won by a larger margin,
but Kerem Demirbay and Edmond Tapsoba’s contributions ultimately made the difference.
The performance reflects Ferencvaros’ recent struggles since they have only won once in their last five games across all competitions.
The team of Stanislav Cherchesov enters the match on Thursday coming off a 2-1 loss to Puskas last Sunday. Over 3.5 goals have been scored in three of Bayer Leverkusen’s past four away games. A repetition may be in store. Bet9ja have 1.78 odds, Paripesa have 1.89 odds and 1xBet have 1.89 odds.
The second leg of Istanbul Basaksehir vs. KAA Gent in the European Conference League round of 16 is still completely in doubt. Istanbul Basaksehir did well to hold out for a 1-1 draw in their first encounter with Gent to avoid losing. Stefano Okaka gave them an early advantage, but the Belgian team rapidly pulled them back. With just one loss in their previous six games, the Belgian team will head to Istanbul with some assurance. In that stretch, they have won four games, including a 6-2 triumph against Zulte Waregem. A similar result can be anticipated on Wednesday because both Istanbul Basaksehir and Gent possess strong offensive capabilities, and both teams scored in the first leg. Bet9ja have 2.28 odds, Paripesa have 2.32 odds and 1xBet have 2.32 odds.
Anytime Goal scorers
Angel Di Maria
Angel Di Maria has been a revelation in Europe this season for Juventus
and has scored four goals in the last two knockout stage matches. This includes the winner last week against Freiburg at home in the first leg,
and a hattrick against Nantes away from home in the Round of the 32-second leg. We are backing Di Maria to score against Freiburg today. Bet9ja have 4.75 odds while Paripesa have 4.60 odds.
Enner Valencia
Enner Valencia was unfortunate not to find the net in last week’s first leg when the veteran attacker racked up four attempts in Spain, two of which found the target. The 33-year-old has been staggeringly prolific in Turkey this season, hitting 23 goals in just 20 Super Lig appearances . The Ecuadorian’s polished finishing could allow him to make an impact in Thursday’s return fixture. Bet9ja have 2.50 odds while Paripesa have 2.40 odds.
Moussa Diaby
Moussa Diaby often carries the attacking threat for Bayer Leverkusen and could be the one to watch on Thursday. The attacker was on target against Monaco in the previous round and is priced well today. He has performed well throughout the season scoring 11 goals in all competitions with six assists as well. Bet9ja have 3.25 odds while Paripesa have 2.87 odds.
Stefano Okaka
Stefano Okaka had been one of the stars for Istanbul Basaksehir in the Conference League this season. He has found the net three times in his last four matches in the competition. The striker is priced well to maintain his scoring run on Wednesday. Bet9ja have 3.50 odds while Paripesa have 3.10 odds.
Dybala
I tipped Paulo Dybala for a goal in the first leg but he drew a blank and provided an assist. The Argentinian is still in good scoring form though,
with 13 for the season, and he’s a good selection for today’s game. Bet9ja have 4.75 odds while Paripesa have 4.75 odds.
Football Lover. All-round junkie of the beautiful game. Could be found watching football most of the time. If not he’s writing about them or making some punditry you don’t agree with. A certain bias for Arsenal and Santos FC.
