talkSPORT betting tips – Best football bets and expert advice for Thursday 9 May
There are three cracking European ties taking place on Thursday night, with Atalanta hosting Marseille and Roma travelling to Bayer Leverkusen in the second leg of the Europa League semi-finals.
Elsewhere, Aston Villa travel to Olympiakos hoping to turnaround a 4-2 first-leg deficit in the Europa Conference League and to embrace the action we have picked out three tasty wagers on what should be a fascinating evening of action on the continent.
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Bet of the day
Over 3.5 goals in Bayer Leverkusen v Roma - 17/10
It has been a fantastic season for Bayer Leverkusen, who were crowned Bundesliga champions for the first time in their 120-year history.
Die Werkself are unbeaten in 48 matches in all competitions this season and Xavi Alonso’s men also have a strong chance of capturing the German Cup and the Europa League prize.
This campaign has been a world away for a team that were once labeled Neverkusen, after they spurned the chance to win a trophy in the 2001-02 season, and they can win an entertaining Europa League second-leg tie against Roma.
The Germans hold the advantage after winning 2-0 in Rome in a game where Die Werkself registered 19 shots on goal. Alonso’s men were worthy winners at the Stadio Olimpico, but Roma did create chances of their own and the Italians were more than a little unfortunate not to find the net.
Daniele De Rossi’s side will be forced to chase the game at the BayArena, given the first-leg score, and that’s a dangerous way to play against Leverkusen, which means over 3.5 goals may be the way to go.
Special of the day
Gianluca Scamacca to score first in Atalanta v Marseille @ 9/2
Gianluca Scamacca missed much of the early part of the season through injury, but the 25-year-old hasn’t been able to stop scoring since he returned to Atalanta’s first team.
The Italian has scored ten goals in his last 12 appearances for Atalanta, which includes a brace against Liverpool at Anfield, and he looks good value to open the scoring against Marseille.
Long shot of the day
Aston Villa to qualify @ 10/3
Aston Villa have been favourites to win the Conference League since the market opened, but that all changed when they were beaten 4-2 by Olympiakos at Villa Park last week.
Unai Emery’s men were disappointing when losing 1-0 at Brighton in the Premier League on Sunday too, but it has generally been an extremely progressive season for the Villans, who have shown they can bounce back from poor results.
Villa had 17 shots on goal and 65 per cent possession in their first-leg clash with Olympiakos, with the Greeks hitting the net four times from an expected-goals figure of 1.59.
Jose Luis Mendilibar’s side clearly made the most of their chances at Villa Park, but that suggests they aren’t as far clear as the prices indicate and means Emery’s men can turn the tie around in Greece.
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