Check out our key stats and suggested bets for Thursday’s Europa League fixtures as Arsenal head to Eindhoven, AS Roma travel to Finland and Manchester United host Sheriff Tiraspol.
PSV vs Arsenal
Arsenal’s eight-match winning run came to an end last weekend at St Mary’s as Southampton held the league leaders to a 1-1 draw.
Mikel Arteta’s men are still unbeaten in nine games, though their goals have somewhat dried up in recent outings.
In their last four games, the Gunners have scored four goals and won three games with the 1-0 scoreline.
In the four games prior, Arsenal scored 12 goals and picked off local rivals Tottenham and Liverpool along the way.
Continuing their fine start to the season was always going to be a challenge for Arteta’s young side. However, while their goalscoring may not be all guns blazing, the Gunners remain an incredibly tough side to beat, with Manchester United still the only club to topple the North London side since May.
PSV Eindhoven lost 1-0 at the Emirates last week and the Dutch giants will undoubtedly seek some retribution. The problem for Ruud van Nistelrooy’s men is the fact they’re more inconsistent than Liverpool – and that’s saying something.
This month alone, PSV lost 3-0 to Cambuur, enjoyed 5-0 and 5-1 victories over FC Zurich, destroyed Utrecht 6-1 but also lost 4-2 against Groningen.
The good news for the Dutch side is the fact they’re unbeaten at home in six games, winning five of those encounters.
The bad news is the fact that the last team to beat them in Eindhoven were another British side, Rangers.
All signs point to an exciting clash in the Netherlands, with goals galore certainly on the cards.
With that in mind, our recommendation is to back an Arsenal victory, both teams to score and over 2.5 goals.
HJK vs AS Roma
There are few managers more successful in European competitions than Jose Mourinho. However, it’s fair to say that the AS Roma boss is struggling to make an impact in the Europa League this season.
After four group games, the Italian side are third in the group and face a serious risk of dropping to the Europa Conference League.
Roma have picked up four points thanks to a 3-0 home win over HJK Helsinki and a 1-1 draw away against Real Betis.
This Thursday, Mourinho’s men will travel away to the Finnish capital as they look to improve their position in the group.
On paper, HJK appear to be easy pickings considering the club haven’t won a Europa League group game since 2014 and are currently bottom of the group with one point to their name.
As well as a solitary point, HJK have also scored just one goal in the group stage.
However, if there’s anything we learned about AS Roma in recent times is that away games in the coldest part of the continent aren’t really their thing.
Last season, the club lost both of their trips to Norway, including a humiliating 6-1 defeat at Bodo/Glimt.
What’s more, Roma are also facing consistency issues. Last weekend, Mourinho’s men lost 1-0 against Serie A leaders Napoli. That came one week on from their 1-0 victory away in Sampdoria.
In fact, Roma haven’t won back-to-back games across all competitions since mid-September.
Nevertheless, considering the wealth of talent at their disposal, the Italian giants should have the tools to pick up all three points.
We’re backing Roma to get the better of the newly crowned Finnish Veikkausliiga champions.
Mourinho’s men to secure the victory with a margin of two goals is our recommended bet. Tammy Abraham to break his eight-match goalless drought is another enticing proposition in the betting market.
Manchester United vs Sheriff Tiraspol
Step by step, Erik ten Hag is beginning to unleash the potential of Manchester United.
The Red Devils are currently unbeaten in six straight games across all competitions and head into Thursday’s encounter on the back of a 1-1 draw with red-hot Chelsea.
More than anything, United fans will have left Stamford Bridge encouraged by the level of resolve on display from their side. After all, Ten Hag’s men went behind in the 87th minute, yet they were able to bag a last-gasp equaliser through Casemiro.
Considering the team have picked up points against top four chasing sides in three straight games (Chelsea, Tottenham and Newcastle), Sheriff Tiraspol should be little more than a stroll in the park.
The Moldovan champions, who are actually based in the unrecognised nation of Transnistria, are currently sitting third in the group.
After four games, Sheriff have three points to their name after kicking off their campaign with a 3-0 win over Omonia Nicosia.
Since then, the Tiraspol outfit have lost three in a row and have failed to score in any of those encounters.
On the other hand, the same was said about Omonia’s trip to Old Trafford at the start of October.
Despite being given no chance of victory, Neil Lennon’s men kept United scoreless until the 93rd minute when Scott McTominay bagged the winner.
Looking at the latest odds, the likelihood of similarly dramatic scenes is low. United, who are currently second in the group and sit three points behind Real Sociedad, will dominate proceedings and should create a plethora of goalscoring opportunities.
With that in mind, we’re backing Man United -2 in the handicap market. In terms of goalscorers, set your sights on Marcus Rashford.
Key stats
- Arsenal are unbeaten in nine games
- PSV have scored 19 goals in six games
- RB Salzburg leads 1-0 at home they win in 80% of their matches
- The Gunners have kept four clean sheets in six games
- Arsenal’s last three wins have been 1-0
- None of HJK’s last 18 UEL games produced more goals before half-time than after
- Andrea Belotti has scored both his goals for Roma in this competition
- Roma lost both their trips to Scandinavia last season
- Man United are unbeaten in six games across all competitions
- Sheriff haven’t scored a goal in their last three UEL games
- Marcus Rashford’s last 11 goals for Man United came after the 50th minute
- Man United had collected an average of 1.25 yellow cards per UEL game
