Both Spurs and United have sizable leads coming into the Europa League second leg this week. Who would have guessed, and we’ve got some brilliant tips on both upcoming matches.
Manchester United vs Athletic Bilbao
Sorry, what?! Who saw that coming? United battered Athletic Bilbao 0-3 at the San Mamés. A red card in the 35th minute helped their cause, but United were definitely the better team.
Bet365 have United tipped as the favourite for the home leg, but Athletic Bilbao will be going hell for leather in this one.
Athletic Club will need to score at least 3 goals in 90 mins. The last time they won a game by three goals away from home was in January 2024. It’s a tall order, but it can happen.
United have only been good in Europe; in their last 15 games, they have only won 5, 3 of which came in the Europa League.
All they need to do is hold on to the lead. So, a loss isn’t off the table, but we, as well as bet365, think that United will reach the final, priced at 1/500 to qualify.
That’s not worth betting on, so here are a few markets which might tickle your fancy.
| Markets with bet365 | Odds |
|---|---|
| Under 10 Corners | 83/100 |
| Over 0.5 First-Half Goals | 9/25 |
| Athletic Bilbao Over 3.5 Shots on Target | 33/50 |
In the last match, we only saw 9 corners, and we’ll see even less with United being in no hurry to push forward.
The opposite is true for Bilbao; they'll need to attack. So, we expect them to score at least one in the first half and for them to get a few shots in.
Bodø/Glimt vs Tottenham
Tottenham beat Bodø/Glimt 3-1 at home in the first leg. Spurs were totally dominant; the xG alone of 3.06 vs 0.26 is enough to tell you that. The match odds for the second leg reflect that. Here’s what bet365 is saying:
Bodø/Glimt are a different beast at home, tough. They’ve won 6 of their last 7 Europa League home games, and have 10 wins in 13 in the League. The Aspmyra Stadion is located above the Arctic Circle and is challenging for most teams.
Tottenham are a calamity away from home. They’ve lost 7 of their last 10 away games, and 3 in 6 in the Europa League. All of this reeks of Spurs.
So, is it the history of the Tottenham? Or can they overcome their demons and make the final? Here are a few markets which are worth a punt on either way.
| Markets with bet365 | Odds |
|---|---|
| Both Teams to Score | 1/2 |
| Over 10.5 Corners | 83/100 |
| Tottenham Over 4.5 Shots on Target | 33/50 |
Last match, both teams scored, 14 corners were taken, and Tottenham had 7 shots on target.
Tottenham are averaging 5.5 shots on target and 6.5 corners in the Europa League.
We’re still going to back Tottenham to qualify, and dominate in most aspects, but actually winning the game might be tricky.
Outright Markets
Manchester United and Tottenham are now the favourites to make it to the Europa League final. Firstly, how are both these teams below Everton in the league?
Secondly, the huge leads they’ve built in the first leg puts them in a great place to make the final. But United are tipped to win the entire thing.
| Team | Odds to Win the Europa League | Bookmaker |
|---|---|---|
| Manchester United | 5/6 | bet365 |
| Tottenham | 5/4 | Ladbrokes |
| Bodø/Glimt | 25/1 | BetVictor |
| Athletic Bilbao | 50/1 | bet365 |
Manchester United only made it to the Europa League by winning the FA Cup, so if they win this competition, they’d make the Champions League purely by winning cup competitions.
