The majority of this year’s quarter-finals remain firmly poised following last week’s first legs. We preview Thursday’s four-game slate with Europa League tips and predictions below, with a place in May’s semi-finals up for grabs.
Europa League Tips – Quarter-Final Second Legs
- Roma to Win vs AC Milan @ 9/5
- Atalanta or Draw vs Liverpool @ 11/10
- Benfica vs Marseille to go to Extra-Time @ 3/1
All three selections combine for an accumulator at odds of 563/25 – a £10 stake on Lucky Block would return £235.
Europa League Predictions and Betting Tips
Roma to Win vs AC Milan
- Kick-Off 20:00 GMT, Thursday 18th April
First and foremost, it must be said we were proved wrong by Roma in our Europa League tips last week – despite their fairly dismal record against Milan in recent seasons.
Since Jose Mourinho’s exit and Danielle De Rossi’s introduction, Roma have looked a side reborn. Instead of relying on the individual brilliance of a select few – which seems to have been their game plan for a number of years – the collective work they managed to get through in Milan was more than commendable.
AC fashioned a total of 25 shots, but Roma’s new iron-clad system means just five found the target. Gianluca Mancini’s strike within 20 minutes was enough to hand them a slender lead, and they managed to – by and large – withstand Milan’s barrage without too many qualms.
Milan had won seven games in a row before welcoming the Romans, and that blip appears to have shaken them to the core after being forced to claw their way back to a 3-3 draw against Sassuolo over the weekend.
Behind only to Inter in terms of goals scored at home and third when isolating points won, Roma will relish the return to the capital in order to see out this tie, and we expect them to dig deep and find the win.
Taking their suspended fixture with Udinese out of the equation, they have conceded just once in their past five games.
Atalanta or Draw vs Liverpool
- Kick-Off 20:00 GMT, Thursday 18th April
Can Atalanta do the double over tournament favourites Liverpool? We certainly think it’s possible.
We purposely steered clear of predicting last week’s game in our tips article – there is something vulnerable about Liverpool right now, as good as they have been up to this point.
The concerning lack of clean sheets was always going to catch up with them eventually, and the countless comebacks they have had to dig out ultimately take its toll, even if they are morale-boosting.
The 3-0 deficit from an astonishing first leg appears an insurmountable problem, and it is a lead Atalanta will do their upmost to protect having worked so hard at Anfield.
They return to Bergamo with the knowledge that their home form is superior to that of their travels this season – although they can now say they are just one of two teams to beat Liverpool away this term.
However, they have conceded just 12 goals in 15 Serie A fixtures on home soil. Only Roma and Inter have scored more than them as well.
Five draws and two defeats away from home for Liverpool is not a record to shout about, and we think they may struggle to mount another famous European comeback under Jurgen Klopp.
The draw appears to be the more realistic result, but if Liverpool begin to see their hopes slip away this could leave them open to another painful defeat.
Benfica vs Marseille to go to Extra-Time
- Kick-Off 20:00 GMT, Thursday 18th April
We managed to ace the first leg of this tie last week by predicting a Benfica win.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s second-half goal has handed Marseille a lifeline after Benfica raced into a two-goal lead within 52 minutes, and will be enthused by returning to southern France for the home leg.
Although Benfica appeared to be the better side for large parts of last week’s game, Marseille eventually grew into it late on and certainly won’t bow out without a fight.
Neither team fashioned too many clear cut chances – just five shots on target were registered throughout. Everything points towards another narrow tie, just as we saw in Lisbon last week.
At 3/1, there is value to be had in the game going to extra-time. Only Lille have conceded fewer goals in Ligue 1 than Marseille at home (nine in 14), and they simply need a solitary goal to level things up on aggregate.
