AC Milan and Athletic Bilbao will play hosts to Romanian teams Craiova and Bucuresti hoping to finish off the task at hand. On the other side, PAK will invite Olimpik Donetsk to Greece while Oostende will entertain French giants Marseille, in hopes of staging a miraculous comeback and reach the next round of the Europa League.
AC MILAN (Ita) vs CSU CRAIOVA (Rou)
Three-way: 1: AC Milan -556; X: +760 Draw; 2: CSU Craiova +2090
Spread -2: AC Milan -111; CSU Craoiva +102
Total +3.5: Over +112; Under -122
AC MILAN (Ita)
AC Milan finished last season with another disappointing finish in the league. They finished 6th, with their attack being one of the poorest in the league. However, with new Chinese investors, they have already begun a massive rebuilding job.
They have played three club friendlies so far, winning two, and losing one, against Dortmund. They even won 4:0 against Bayern Munich, which indicates towards the hunger of this squad.
The transfer window has seen AC Milan go absolutely berserk. They have signed a large number of world class players: Leonardo Bonucci for €42 million (From Juventus), Portuguese young striker Andre Silva from Porto for €38 million, Andrea Conti from Atalanta for €25 mn, dead ball specialist Calhanoglu from Leverkusen, and midfielders Franck Kessie and Lucas Biglia and defenders Rodrigues and Mateo Musachio. All these transfers mean their spending this season has been 189 million Euros, showing their ambition to get back the glory days.
CSU CRAIOVA (Rou)
With the Romanian league already well underway, Craiova have made a decent start so far, with two draws and one win. They finished last season in 5th position, 8 points off the top spot.
In their last two league matches, they drew both the matches by 1:1; at home and at away. They also lost the first leg 0:1 of the third round Europa League qualifiers.
They have brought in Romanian attackers Mihai roman and Cristian Barbut from Nimegen and Timisoara respectively, for a total amount of 225 thousand euros. They have also signed centre Back Hrvoje Spahija on a free transfer.
AC MILAN (Ita) vs CSU CRAIOVA (Rou) – Match Prediction:
Looking at the first leg, one can only be surprised at the scoreline considering the fact that Milan was clearly the superior team and deserved a bigger margin of victory. However, the players have gelled in better now, and hence, should out a better performance, especially as they are playing at home. Therefore, my prediction will be an easy home win for Milan who will reach the next Europa League round.
MY PICK: AC MILAN AH -2 (-111)
ATHLETIC BILBAO (Esp) vs DIN. BUCURESTI (Rou)
Three Way: 1: Athletic Bilbao -400; X: +640 Draw; 2: Din. Bucuresti +1800
Spread -2: Athletic Bilbao +112; Din. Bucuresti -119
Total +2.5: Over -133; Under +125
ATHLETIC BILBAO (Esp)
Athletic Bilbao just about missed their chance to go straight to the group stages as they finished seventh in the league last season. Be it defense or attack, they were uncharacteristically average on both fronts.
They have played four friendly matches so far, out of which they have won two, lost one, and drawn one. During this period, they have scored 6 goals, while conceding just two. Both the wins resulted in clean sheets, along with the 0:0 draw with Fenerbahce.
DIN. BUCURESTI (Rou)
They have made a decent start to the league season this year. Of the first three matches, they have won two, and lost one. Impressively, they have conceded only once during these matches and have scored four times.
Before the season started, they played six friendlies, out of which they won only two, and lost four. They conceded 11 goals in these matches, while scoring just 7 goals.
They have signed winger Deiogo Salomao from Mallorca on a free transfer, along with Filipe Nascimento and Gerogios Katsikas to add still and solidity to their team’s structure.
ATHLETIC BILBAO (Esp) vs DIN. BUCURESTI (Rou) – Match Prediction:
Even though the first leg of the Europa League third qualifying round was a 1:1 draw between the teams, this return leg looks to be anything but. Bilbao, even though without any new signings, is clearly the better side, and hence should be the team celebrating the win. Therefore, my prediction will be a home win in this match. I will also take the over 2.5 goals.
MY PICK: ATHLETIC BILBAO AH -2 (+112)
Additional Pick: Over 2.5 goals (-133)
PAOK (Gre) vs OLIMPIK DONETSK (Ukr)
Three-way: 1: PAOK -244; X: +375 Draw; 2: Olimpik Donetsk +883
Spread -1.5: PAOK +125; Olimpik Donetsk -141
Total +2.5: Over +121; Under -133
PAOK (Gre)
PAOK managed to finish second in the Greek league even after they were hit with a points deduction of three points. They had the second best defence in the league with just 19 goals conceded in 30 matches.
In the preseason, PAOK played four club friendlies. Out of those four, they won two, lost one, and drew one. They scored 5 goals, while conceding 6 goals in these friendlies.
They have signed Dimitrios Limnios form Athen for a sum of 800 thousand Euros, while bagging a loan deal for Zenit winger Robert Mak. They have also singed left back Dorain Leveque from Guingamp.
OLIMPIK DONETSK (Ukr)
Olimpik haven’t made the brightest of starts in the Ukrainian league. With three matches played, they have won only one of them while drawing the other two. They have scored only two goals so far, but have conceded none.
Before the commencement of the season, Olimpik had played three friendly matches, losing all three of those. They scored only two goals, while conceding 6 in all three of these matches.
All their transfer arrivals this season have been Ukrainian players arriving on free transfers. Centre Backs Anton Kravchenko, Lukhtanov, and Shabanov, along with attackers Ilya Mikhalev and Ivan Sondei have joined the club this season.
PAOK (Gre) vs OLIMPIK DONETSK (Ukr) – Match Prediction:
The first leg of the Europa League third qualifying round was a tight affair, as both the teams created and missed many chances. However, as PAOK return to home soil, they should feel motivated enough to put in a good shift. Therefore, my prediction for this match will be a home win for the Greek side.
MY PICK: PAOK AH -1.5 (+125)
OOSTENDE (Bel) vs MARSEILLE (Fra)
Three-way: 1: Oostende +333; X: +305 Draw: 2: Marseille -114
Spread +0.5: Oostende +106; Marseille -116
Total +3: Over -115; Under +106
OOSTENDE (Bel)
Oostende came fifth in the Belgian top flight last year only due to having one goal less in goal difference than Gent. They had an average defense, while having a decent scoring record as they scored 57 times in 30 league games.
They played a total of seven club friendlies, out of which they have won four, lost one, and drawn two. In this period, they have scored a massive 20 goals, while conceding 6.
They have brought Belgian international Nicolas Lombaerts back to his country from Zenit for a deal worth 1.5 million. They have also signed Nicolas Rajsel for 450 thousand Euros, while bringing in young striker Ibrahima Sory Bah on an undisclosed fee from Standard liege.
MARSEILLE (Fra)
Marseille finished in fifth position quite comfortably as no other team was near them in terms of points, be it above them or below them. Considering the size of the club, they will be hoping to do better, starting from the Europa league
They have played four club friendlies in the preseason, out of which they won three, and lost one. They scored 8 goals, while conceding half of it i.e. four goals.
They have resigned winger Florain Thauvin from Newcastle for 11 million, while also bring in other attackers like Valerie Germain from Monaco for 8 million and Clinton N’Jie from spurs for 7 million. To stifle things up, they have signed Brazilian Luis Gustavo from Wolfsburg for 10 million Euros, and have also brought in Adil Rami for 6 million and former keeper Steve Mandanda from Crystal Palace for 3 million to shore things up at the back.
OOSTENDE (Bel) vs MARSEILLE (Fra) – Match Prediction:
Going through the flow of play in the first leg, it is pretty obvious for everyone to realize that Marseille are clearly the one who should be moving to the Europa League group stages. Therefore, keeping in mind the quality of players in both the squads, I would predict an easy win for the French club.
MY PICK: MARSEILLE to win (-114)
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