There is a stack of Europa League and Conference League second qualifying round second-leg matches on Thursday evening as the European action begins to heat up.
We have a trio of selections which make up our best bets of the day.
talkSPORT BET – Score up to £30 in free bets – CLAIM HERE*
Thursday football tips
Bet of the Day – Over 3.5 goals in Benfica v St Gallen @ Evs
Benfica were shocked in a 2-1 loss to St Gallen last week, but the Eagles are 1/8 to win at Estadio da Luz and turn the tie in their favour.
Marco Silva will be keen to avoid the embarrassment of failing to qualify for the Europa League as the former Fulham boss begins his reign at Benfica and the goals are likely to flow in Lisbon.
Last week’s St Gallen contest featured a whopping 31 efforts on goal, 11 corners and a stack of big chances.
The expected goals numbers finished 1.78 to 1.75 in favour of the Swiss side and there could be even more attacking action here, with the hosts now forced to chase the game.
The Lisbon Eagles played a friendly contest against Belenenses on Friday, with Anisio Cabral, Franjo Ivanovic, Jhon Duran and Gianluca Prestianni all given game time and Silva has a plethora of attacking options at his disposal.
Benfica won the contest against Belenenses 5-1 and, while the form of that friendly tie doesn’t carry much weight, it does give clear indication of Silva’s attacking intent.
At evens, taking over 3.5 goals at the Estadio da Luz looks the standout play on Thursday’s European coupon.
Special of the Day – PAOK to win & over 2.5 goals bet builder @ 33/20
PAOK and Dynamo Kyiv were involved in a thrilling 3-2 contest in Poland last Thursday, with the Greek side now holding advantage in the second leg at Toumba Stadium.
Alessio Lisci’s men were good value for their 3-2 success, winning the shot count 14-10 and putting up expected goals numbers of 2.01 to Kyiv’s 1.33.
PAOK are a progressive outfit, who strengthened their squad in the summer and Dikefalos rate a pretty dangerous side at this level of football.
Kyiv were second best in Poland in the first leg and it’s difficult to see the Ukrainians outperforming PAOK in Greece.
A home victory and over 2.5 goals in the game pays 33/20 in a bet builder and that’s an attractive offer.
Longshot of the Day – Midtjylland to beat Besiktas, Hibernian to beat Malisheva, HJK to beat Coleraine & Istanbul Basaksehir to beat Inter Turku fourfold @ 5/1
Besiktas often underperform in Europe and, while the Turkish side have a 1-0 lead on Midtjylland, they may struggle to hold onto their advantage.
Friday Etim’s early red card took last week’s first leg away from Midtjylland, but the Boys of the Moor can hit back at the MCH Arena.
Hibernian were embarrassed in their 2-0 loss at Malisheva last Thursday, but a roaring Easter Road is an intimidating atmosphere for Europe’s top clubs to handle and the Kosovans could fold in Leith.
HJK crushed Coleraine 5-0 in Helsinki last week and Ossi Virta’s men are a vastly superior side to the Bannsiders. The only danger to a repeat HJK win is if the Finnish outfit take their foot off the gas, but there is enough in the price to punt Klubi.
Inter Turku were forced to play with ten men for much of their 2-1 loss to Gnistan on Sunday and that’s far from ideal preparation for their tie with Istanbul Basaksehir.
Basaksehir were clearly the better side in Istanbul last week and Nuri Sahin’s men can win in Finland.
talkSPORT BET – Score up to £30 in free bets – CLAIM HERE*
Odds correct at time of publish and subject to change.
Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
- Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
- Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
- Never chase their losses
- Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
- GamCare – www.gamcare.org.uk
- Gamble Aware – www.gambleaware.org
For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.
Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to talkSPORT. 18+. T&Cs apply. gambleaware.org
*18+ New Customers. Opt in, deposit and bet £10 on any football market (odds 1/1+) within 7 days of sign up. Get your initial stake back (up to £30) credited in set football markets. Free bets expire in 30 days. Scroll Down for T&Cs. GambleAware.org | Please gamble responsibly 18+.