Europa League Round of 32 Multi and Best Bets

Europa League action returns in midweek with the round of 32 second leg taking place over the course of Wednesday and Thursday.

The first leg saw plenty of upsets, which can only mean that we can expect to see some of Europe’s big guns come out swinging. This can only make for great entertainment and potential value in various betting markets.

We have singled out several games which we feel are worth keeping an eye on for punters, with our suggested bets available to use individually or together as a multi-bet.

Arsenal v Benfica

Benfica may have held Arsenal to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of this tie, but their overall form remains worryingly poor. A 0-0 draw with Farense stretched their winless run in all competitions to three matches.

Arsenal bossed possession in the first leg against Benfica and are likely to translate that into an advantage on the scoresheet in the second leg. Mikel Arteta’s side may be undergoing a rebuilding process, but they are a better team than Benfica and should expect themselves to progress.

Best Bet: Arsenal To Win at 1.90

PSV Eindhoven v Olympiakos

PSV Eindhoven suffered a somewhat surprising 4-2 defeat to Olympiakos in the first leg of their Europa League round of 32 tie. The Dutch giants will be on home soil for the second leg and will undoubtedly go all out in pursuit of a comeback.

PSV have seen three or more goals in all of their last six matches, but Olympiakos are every bit as enterprising and have seen three or more goals in seven of their last eight. In what is bound to be an open game from the get-go, we are likely to see plenty of goals whichever way the tide turns at the Philips Stadion.

Best Bet: Over 2.5 Goals at 1.66

Manchester United v Real Sociedad

Manchester United cruised to a 4-0 first leg drubbing of Real Sociedad and followed up with a 3-1 Premier League win over Newcastle United.

For their part, Sociedad took the Red Devils defeat in their stride and got back on track with a 4-0 La Liga win over Alavés. Alexander Isak’s hat-trick was a timely reminder that this is a team which has plenty of goalscoring potential.

An open encounter at Old Trafford is on the cards with United likely to give some fringe players a chance to impress and Sociedad set to fight tooth and nail to erase the memory of the first leg humiliation once and for all. Over 2.5 goals is the tip.

Best Bet: Over 2.5 Goals at 1.66

Leicester City v Slavia Prague

Leicester City were held to a 0-0 draw by Slavia Prague in the away leg of their round of 32 tie, but on home soil, they should be too strong. The Foxes have won four of their last five matches at the King Power Stadium and all three of their home Europa League matches this season have resulted in comfortable victories.

Slavia Prague were held to a 1-1 draw by Teplice on Sunday — hardly ideal preparation ahead of a trip to a far stronger opponent. To make matters worse, they have lost three of their last four away Europa League matches, including two out of three this season.

All the signs point towards a comfortable Leicester City victory, which is where the value is in the -1 handicap market.

Best Bet: Leicester -1 Handicap at 2.45

AC Milan v Red Star Belgrade

The Rossoneri will be desperate to recover from derby defeat to Inter Milan when they host Red Star Belgrade at the San Siro. With two away goals to their name, they have the upper hand in this fixture even though the scores currently sit deadlocked at 2-2.

With quality players such as Zlatan Ibrahimović at their disposal, Milan are likely to put in a big performance. The last time they suffered a crushing 3-0 defeat in Serie A was against Atalanta and they responded by embarking on an impressive run of form. It is vital that they do the same once again.

Stefano Pioli’s men need to treat the Europa League seriously with the Scudetto slowly slipping away from them and a major statement of intent from Milan is the likely outcome of this clash.

Best Bet: AC Milan -1 Handicap at 2.15

Leonard Solms

Leonard Solms is a sports journalist who features regularly on various local and international platforms including ESPN, New Frame, FARPost, Tagged Online and Careers Magazine, as well as this one. He enjoys the occasional bet and the most important tip he can give you is to bet within your means.