The Europa League group phase is approaching the midway point with the big guns (Arsenal, Chelsea and AC Milan) amongst the 10 teams with maximum points so far in the competition. Arsenal face Sporting CP in battle of Group E giants; six points each so far, pushing hard to secure qualification within the earliest possible time. Real Betis offer biggest test yet for seven-time European champions AC Milan. Steven Gerrard’s buoyant Rangers host Spartak Moskva while Celtic visit Leipzig. In France, Marseille host Lazio in Group H; are last season’s finalists in trouble?
Here is our preview of some matches across the 12 groups.
Group B;
RB LEIPZIG v CELTIC – THUR. 25 OCT 2018, 17.55HRS
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Leipzig and Celtic square off at the Red Bull Arena in what is expected to be lively encounter in Germany. The home team lost their first group game at home to Salzburg but recorded an away victory in Rosenborg to get back on track, they would be looking to pick up from the game in Norway. Celtic won on opening day but lost away at Salzburg and will hope they can improve on their away record on the continent. Both teams sit on same points behind leaders Salzburg who are likely to win the group which means these two are fighting for the second qualification spot in Group B.
VERDICT – This is the first meeting between these two sides in any European competition. It is also Leipzig first with Scottish opposition. Celtic are seasoned European campaigners who have played German sides 22 times before (3W, 5D, 14L). The Hoops away record is quite poor and they have not been at their imperious best on the domestic scene where they are usually dominant. Leipzig are on a good run at the moment (4W, 2D) in their last six matches in all competitions, Celtic are equally on a good run as well (4W, 1L) in their last five and the only defeat in this run came in the Europa League. Leipzig are strong at home and should be considered for a home win. Our prediction is over 2.5 goals.
Group E;
SPORTING CP v ARSENAL – THUR. 25 OCT 2018, 17.55HRS
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Arsenal have made significant progress after their early season stumbles to embark on an impressive winning run which stands at 10 currently. It appears Unai Emery players are buying into his methods, they are not just winning, they are doing so it style and with lot of goals. Sporting are having a pretty amazing season so far too. They are performing quite well in the league and in Europe where they share top spot in Group E. Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon is going to host two top European teams in brilliant form cuurrently and the cherry is the battle for top spot in this group.
VERDICT – This is the first meeting between these two sides in European competition. Sporting CP is on a streak of five consecutive home victories while Arsenal has won last four of their away matches. The Gunners are slight favorites for this game to keep their 100% record intact. However, this isn’t a walk in the park for either sides and a very close game is anticipated. Our prediction is over 1.5 goals.
Group F;
AC MILAN v REAL BETIS – THUR. 25 OCT 2018, 17.55HRS
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Milan lost the derby to city rivals Inter in the last minute and will look for redemption when Betis come calling at the Giuseppe Meazza on Thursday in this Group F encounter. Gennaro Gattuso team have made a perfect start to this competition and will aim to build on their victories over Olympiacos and F91 Dudelange. Real Betis are on a positive path under Quique Setien though their current form will need to improve having lost their last two league matches including a disappointment home loss to Real Valladolid on Sunday. On the continent, Los Beticos have managed two clean sheets and will hope to continue in the direction when they travel to Milan.
VERDICT – Both teams have met twice in the past with a victory each for either sides. Both sides will be looking to improve their fortune on Thursday evening having lost over the weekend. Betis have failed to score in four of their last five away matches this season which makes their trip to the San Siro a huge task. Both teams rarely give much away, they are strong defensively so we can expect a low scoring affair. Our prediction is under 2.5 goals
Group G;
RANGERS v SPARTAK MOSCOW – THUR. 25 OCT 2018, 20.00HRS
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Rangers can take a huge step towards the knockout stages of the competition with a victory on Thursday night when they host Spartak Moscow on Match Day 3. Steven Gerard’s team lead the group with four points earned from a 2-2 draw away at Villarreal and followed with a home win over Rapid Vienna. Bottom club Spartak Moscow are yet to record a victory in the group stage this season, losing their first match away and managing a draw at home against Villarreal. The Russian will need to avoid a second defeat on the road if they harbor any chance of progressing beyond the group phase.
VERDICT – These two sides meet for the first time in UEFA competition. Rangers have a good record against Russian sides (8W, 3D, 2L). The home team come into this game on a three-match winning run while the visitors isn’t so good (1W, 1D, 1L) in the last three. Both teams love to attack which makes them a bit vulnerable at the back, we expect both teams to find the back of the net at Ibrox.
Group H;
OLYMPIQUE MARSEILLE v LAZIO – THUR. 25 OCT 2018, 20.00HRS
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Last season finalist find themselves at the wrong end of the table after two games and run the risk of being eliminated if they do not start getting the right results. Having lost at home on opening night, Marseille could only manage a draw at Apollon Limassol. Lazio are second on the table thanks to their victory over Apollon although they lost their second to Frankfurt in Germany. Les Phoceens are desperate to return to win and will likely adopt an attack-minded approach while Lazio will aim to produce a better performance away from home after the heavy loss in Frankfurt.
VERDICT – Marseille won their last two league matches without conceding similar to Lazio as well. This is the first meeting between these teams since Lazio thrashed Marseille 18 years ago when Lazio manager Simone Inzaghi was a La Aquile player. A lively contest is on the horizon and we believe that the two sides are going to play out a high-scoring draw at Orange Velodrome. Our prediction is for Both Teams To Score.
Group L;
CHELSEA v BATE BORISOV – THUR. 25 OCT 2018, 20.00HRS
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Chelsea host BATE with a perfect Europa League record through wins over PAOK and Mol Vidi in opening two matches in Group L. They are favorites to win the group and must maintain such record on Thursday when Belarus champions come to visit Stamford Bridge, aiming to put up a better performance after a dreadful display in a 1-4 home defeat to PAOK last time out. Maurizio Sarri is likely to rotate his squad for this game as he has been doing in other to keep the squad balance right but regardless of who is selected, they would be ready to impress in front of their fans. Alexey Baga’s team made a fine start to this competition with an away victory in Hungary and their travelling fans can only wish for similar result in London.
VERDICT – This is Chelsea’s first meeting with Belarusian opposition. The visitors have a weak defense which the Blues would aim to exploit as they aim to improve their goal scoring chart in this competition. They managed five in their last two league matches. Chelsea have not lost a European group game at Stamford Bridge since September 2013, unbeaten in 12 matches. The Premier League giants have made a strong start to the season and are overwhelming favorites to win this game. Our prediction is Chelsea winning at HT and FT.
This wraps us our UEFA Europa League Match Day 3 Focus. Predict and win big in UEFA second club’s competition by visiting our Sports shop Babaijebu.ng for mouthwatering offers for all UEL matches.