Another exciting season in Europa League is about to get kicked off and group stage will bring us some spectacular clashes. A number of clubs are aiming the title and the place in the Champions League next season. We will be able to see a couple of derby matches already in the first round and we have highlighted the most interesting one which are going to be played on September 19th. Betting analysis is provided by bettingTips4you.
*Group C – Basel v Krasnodar
Swiss Super League runners-up want to get back on top this season and they also look forward to having a successful continental campaign. They disappointed in the very start of the season as Basel got knocked out by LASK Linz in the Champions League qualifiers. They also suffered a defeat in the second round of national championship, but from that point they booked four wins in a row which launched them on the top spot.
Krasnodar also went out from the qualifiers for the elite European cup as Olympiakos were better side with a 6-1 aggregate. However, Russian side managed to consolidate and improve form in the Premier League which saw them climbing to the top spot. This is going to be a very close match and since both sides are doing very well in the front, we are expecting to see goals in both nets.
*Group D – PSV Eindhoven v Sporting CP
PSV Eindhoven are another team which came from the Champions League qualifiers as they went out of the competition by Basel on away goals. This was a huge disappointment for the hosts, but they managed to pick themselves up and have a successful start of the season in Eredivisie.
They might have slight troubles in the final third after Hirving Lozano left the club to join Napoli, but PSV conceded only three times in the domestic league. Sporting CP are already three points behind the top spot in the Portuguese Primeira Liga as they lost 3-2 at home against Rio Ave.
They shouldn’t allow themselves spilling points in that king of matches if they want to challenge the title. The visitors don’t seem pretty confident at the start of the season and PSV Eindhoven should take advantage of that to book a valuable victory.
*Group E – Rennes v Celtic
The hosts are one of the most pleasant surprises in French Ligue 1 as they are sharing the top spot along with PSG, Nice and Angers. They actually managed to beat the current champions from Paris, but their three-win streak came to an end in the latest round.
Although they haven’t been to efficient in the front, their disciplined defending brought them very good results. Celtic are sitting on the top of the Premiership and they are expecting this match full of confidence after beating Rangers at Ibrox in Old Firm. They are scoring more than four goals per match in average, but their opponents weren’t so strong.
They suffered a major setback in the Champions League qualifiers when Neil Lennon’s side got knocked out by Romanian champions CFR Cluj. Interestingly, they are going to face each other in Europa League group stage as well. We are expecting a tight clash in which the crowd shouldn’t be able to see more than two goals.
*Group F – Eintracht Frankfurt v Arsenal
This is one of the derby matches of the Europa League 1st round. Home side reached semi-finals of this competition last season as they went out by the latter winners Chelsea. Although Luka Jovic left the club in the summer transfer window and joined Real Madrid, they are still having a lot of talented and young players which can pull upset.
Eintracht Frankfurt booked two wins in three matches in Bundesliga and they are expected to challenge one of the European cups spots this season. The Gunners are already five points behind Liverpool, and it is hard to expect that Unai Emery’s side is capable of stepping into the title battle after just four rounds played. Arsenal still have issues in the back as they are allowing a lot of goals.
However, they are one of the top favourites in this competition and they are certainly going to fight for the trophy. In this match, the crowd should enjoy at least three goals in total.
*Group G – Rangers v Feyenoord
Steven Gerard’s side is going to challenge the long-waited title in the Scottish Premiership, but they have already lost in Old Firm at their ground in the latest round. The Gers are going to have a tough task of taking down Celtic from the top spot, but the season is long, and anything can happen as they are only three points behind their rivals.
Feyenoord also spilled too many points at the start of the domestic campaign and in the best-case scenario they should be capable of challenging the Europa League spot for the next season. Although they still haven’t lost in Eredivisie, Feyenoord celebrated just once in four rounds. This should be an even match and it wouldn’t be surprising if it ends with a draw.
*Group K – Wolves v Braga
Wolves had a pretty tough task in the playoffs of Europa League qualifiers, but they managed to eliminate Torino. However, they are still searching for the first victory in the Premier League as they’ve drawn three times in four matches so far.
Their schedule wasn’t too favourable, and we are expecting them to improve the form in the upcoming period. Braga suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat against Benfica in the Primeira Liga and they are already pretty far from the top spot.
The visitors have a lot of troubles in the back as they have been conceding two goals per match in average in the domestic league. Wolves are favourites in this clash and we are expecting them to deliver a win.
