Born in the south east of Ireland, Simon put his life-long love of football to good use when he started a successful independent blog in 2010. That opened up an alternative route to a career in journalism, and having had work published across a number of sites and publications, Simon joined the staff at Spotlight Sports Group in 2018.
A fusion of far-flung rendezvous, unknown quantities and continental dark horses continues to make the Europa League a compelling support act to the Champions League’s main event, and on Thursday, we have another packed UEL fixture programme to sink our teeth into.
The action starts from 17:55 later today, when the first 13 of the evening’s 24 contests kick-off across Europe, and with three Premier League representatives along with a whole host of big-hitters from other domestic divisions involved, there is plenty to look forward to.
To add some extra spice to proceedings, we’ve scoured William Hill’s #YourOdds selections and specials to bring you some of our favourite bets from their UEL offerings – and remember, we have betting tips and analysis for the games on our Europa League predictions page.
What is William Hill’s #YourOdds?
#YourOdds is our way of making your quirkiest punting premonitions a reality. Present them with a scenario by tweeting @WilliamHill with #YourOdds and they will try to give you a price on it happening. So, if you want to place a bet and it’s not on the site, all you have to do is ask.
Each week, William Hill will update a list of events here that customers can request their own customised #YourOdds selections for.
If you haven’t already, we recommend signing up for a William Hill account using the banner below, where new customers can claim up to £40 in free bets and bonuses upon registration (T&Cs apply).
Best William Hill #YourOdds for Thursday’s Europa League games
Arsenal & Leicester both to win & Eddie Nketiah & Kelechi Iheanacho both to score
Odds: 7/1
Premier League giants Arsenal and Leicester City have already entered continental cruise control this term, and having won each of their first three group matches respectively, another victory this evening will see both clubs qualify for the knockout stage of the competition with rapid efficiency.
The Gunners look favourites to complete the job with a second win over Norwegian outfit Molde inside three weeks, and Eddie Nketiah could be the man to fire them to glory.
The 21-year-old has been kept in reserve domestically this term, though Arteta has given the youngster a chance to shine in the Europa League, and Nketiah has already scored once in the tournament.
Leicester City meanwhile can land a position in the next phase with a win in Portugal against Sporting Braga. The Foxes thumped their opponents 4-0 at the King Power Stadium earlier this month, on an evening when Kelechi Iheanacho notched two excellent goals.
The stand-in centre-forward should be handed another chance to do some damage in the return fixture, and having hit three goals in as many UEL group appearances, Iheanacho looks capable of continuing his streak.
Over 3 goals, over 2 Cards, over 9 corners all in each match
Molde vs Arsenal & Sporting Braga vs Leicester City
Odds: 30/1
Sticking to the same pair of fixtures, another superb looking William Hill #YourOdds selection jumped off the page at 30/1 odds.
When Arsenal locked horns with Norwegian minnows Molde at the Emirates Stadium on November 5th, the Gunners emerged as 4-1 victors, where a total of two cards were brandished and 10 corners were awarded to both teams combined on a comfortable evening in North London.
In Leicester’s first Group G encounter with Braga, the Foxes dished out a 4-0 beating to the Portuguese outfit, though it’s just as interesting to note that four players were cautioned and a total of 12 corners were awarded to the teams.
A repeat of that action in Thursday’s rematches, plus one extra card in Molde’s return meeting with Arsenal at the Aker Stadion, would see our second pick land at tasty looking 30/1 odds.
Over 44 goals combined in the 17:55 kick-offs
Odds: 5/1
The Europe League has been delivering entertainment by the barrelful this season, and at present the goals per game average for the tournament so far stands at a healthy 3.21.
The flurry of final third action seems to be on the rise however, and a net-shredding 93 goals were plundered across the 24 fixtures played in game week three of the competition at the beginning of November, which works out at a staggering 3.875 goals per 90 minutes.
We need an average of 3.46 goals to be hit in each of the 13 fixtures scheduled to kick off at 17:55 for our 5/1 pick to land, and recent evidence suggests the Europa League’s early games are primed to deliver the goods.
At least 1 goal in each half in each match
Rangers vs Benfica & Tottenham vs Ludogorets
Odds: 5/4
Our fourth pick from William Hill’s numerous Europa League #YourOdds offerings concerns Rangers clash with Benfica and Tottenham’s one-sided looking face off with Bulgarian side Ludogorets.
Four our final bet to land, we need at least one goal to be score in each half of both matches, and looking at how the teams’ previous tussles went, this one looks well worth backing.
Rangers’ skirmish with Benfica in Lisbon on November 5th was a barnstorming affair, where the teams eventually shared the spoils after a white-knuckle 3-3 draw. The Stadium of Light saw the six goals split evenly between both halves, and we expect more high-octane action when the sides square off again in Glasgow later today.
Tottenham made light work of Ludogorets when the clubs went toe-to-toe in Razgrad earlier this month, though it’s interesting to note that half the goals scored in Spurs’ 3-1 win were notched before the half time interval, with the other half registered in the second 45.
More FST News:
Premier League early value betting tips for this weekend (with 38/1 acca!)
FST’s Champions League Team of the Week: Bruno and Braithwaite steal the show
FST hits the mark with 6 out of 8 Champions League match previews on Tuesday!
