Europa League Round of 16 Multi

Manchester United v AC Milan is the headline fixture in a mouthwatering Thursday lineup of UEFA Europa League round of 16 first leg action. However, this is far from the only fixture worth keeping an eye on.

Many teams in the Europa League round of 16 have been performing exceptionally well domestically this season, with Rangers, Dinamo Zagreb and BSC Young boys but a few examples, let alone the Red Devils and the Rossoneri, who have both improved significantly on last season. Many of these teams will hope for strong runs in the UEFA Champions League next season. This could be seen by some of the lesser sides as a chance to acclimatise to what they would face in Europe’s elite competition.

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Our suggested bets this Thursday see Ajax and Manchester United backed in the win market and Tottenam Hotspur in the -1 handicap market, while Arsenal are tipped for a high-scoring encounter.

You can place these bets individually or as a multi-bet. If you opt for the latter, you could win R1038.96 for a R100 stake at the time of writing. With the odds gradually dropping, punters are advised not to delay should they wish to place these bets.

Ajax v Young Boys

Ajax have done everything needed of them in the past month despite losing goalkeeper Andre Onana to a 12-month suspension for a doping violation. Since then, wins over PSV Eindhoven and Heerenveen have seen the 2018/19 UEFA Champions League semi-finalists progress to the final of the KNVB Cup, where they will be favourites against Vitesse.

Ajax also saw off Ligue 1 leaders Lille 2-1 both home and away in the Europa League round of 32, while beating Heracles, Sparta Rotterdam and Groningen and drawing with PSV in the Eredivisie to remain top of the table. It is clear that Ajax have not been derailed by the setback of losing their goalkeeper amid controversial circumstances. Nor should they be derailed by the Swiss Super League leaders, who have three draws in a row heading into this fixture.

Young Boys did well to beat Bayer Leverkusen in the last round, but against a side which has excelled in Europe in recent years (and long before), it is unlikely that they will pull off an upset.

Manchester United v AC Milan

Manchester United head into the clash with AC Milan in red hot form, having just beaten Premier League leaders Manchester City 2-0, while the Rossoneri only recently suffered a 3-0 derby defeat to Inter Milan and have not yet regained their best form.

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With Zlatan Ibrahimović still on the mend from injury, Milan will almost certainly be without their star striker against his former club.

Bruno Fernandes has scored 10 times in 12 Europa League appearances since the start of last season and is likely to be the catalyst in a home win at Old Trafford on Thursday.

Olympiakos v Arsenal

Arsenal have seen three or more goals in two of their last three matches in all competitions and Olympiakos in 10 of their last 12. All signs point towards a high-scoring affair in Piraeus.

Olympiakos beat Dutch giants PSV 4-2 in the home leg of their round of 32 tie, going on to progress despite losing the away leg 2-1. For an Arsenal side which heads into this clash off the back of a 1-1 draw to Burnley, it is risky to be overconfident of an away win. Arsenal are the better side on paper, but the first leg of this tie is a potential banana skin.

Recent trends suggest that bets can be more reliably hedged on plenty of goals. Arsenal have long been somewhat shaky at the back, but possess an abundance of attacking quality. They are likely to go all guns blazing in search of away goals and it is likely that we will see plenty of action, regardless of which end(s) of the pitch we see it at.

Tottenham v Dinamo Zagreb

Tottenham have regained their form since Harry Kane returned to action and Gareth Bale began rolling back the years, producing the sort of masterclass which Spurs and Real Madrid fans have been privileged to witness on many occasions over the past decade, but have been in short supply during the past two years.

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It is likely that José Mourinho will rotate his team ahead of the Premier League clash with North London rivals Arsenal. Nevertheless, this does not mean there will be a complete break of momentum for Spurs, who regained their winning touch in the Premier League off the back of a demolition of Wolfsberger in the round of 32.

After four wins in a row in all competitions — three of them by at least three goals — Tottenham are likely to pick up a comfortable victory over Dinamo Zagreb, who for all their quality performances in Croatia are simply no match for one of England’s best sides on their day.