The UEFA Europa League group phase continues this Thursday, so take a look at our tips and predictions for the Group E matches. With plenty of picks and markets to choose from, don’t waste your time and enter the action at Get More Sports.
Everton (Eng) vs. Lyon (Fra)
Three-Way: Everton +177; X: +250 Draw; 2: Lyon +183
Spread 0: Everton -109; Lyon +102
Total +2.5: Over -120; Under +117
EVERTON
The Toffees collected only one point from the first two Europa League games, and following a disappointing home draw against Apollon, they need to win here to stay in the contention for the knockout phase. Everton is without a victory in the previous three matches, and Ronald Koeman’s job is pretty insecure at the moment, so the Dutch manager must improve or else he will be looking for a new job soon.
Everton has played 15 games so far in the 2017/18, recording six wins, four draws, and five defeats, with a goal difference of 15:19, which is 2.25 goals per contest on average. When it comes to matches at Goodison Park, the Toffees scored 11 goals and recorded five victories, and considering Lyon’s poor away form at the moment; they have a decent chance to come away victorious on this one.
The returnee Wayne Rooney is the team’s leading scorer with four goals to his name, while Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Oumar Niasse are right behind him with three goals each. The youngster Lewin is the best assist-maker with three dishes thus far, while the midfielder Tom Davies added a pair of assists. The centre-back Ramiro Funes Mori is out for the season with a knee injury, Yannick Bolasie is sidelined for another month due to a cruciate ligament rupture, while Ross Barkley is still unavailable with a hamstring setback. The Ireland international James McCarthy is near to returning to the pitch, but his compatriot Seamus Coleman is still recovering from a broken leg and will not feature in this clash.
LYON
The Kids are in a good run as they lost only once in the last 11 matches, and the recent 3-2 victory over the reigning champions Monaco particularly delighted fans. Lyon has two points from the opening pair of games in the Europa League, and although they would be satisfied with a draw at Goodison Park, the Frenchmen will undoubtedly attack the hosts on Thursday night. Nabil Fekir played a key role against Monaco as he scored a game-winning goal in the 95th minute, and Lyon won thanks to his brace, so Everton must pay particular attention to the forward.
Lyon played 11 games in this campaign, recording four victories, six draws, and a loss, with a goal difference of 22:17, which is a bit over 3.5 goals per contest on average. The away form is somewhat concerning for them as they managed to win only once away from Groupama Stadium so this tilt will be a massive test for Bruno Genesio’s side.
Nabil Fekir and Mariano Diaz are currently the team’s top scorers with seven goals to their respective names; Memphis Depay has three, and Bertrand Traore scored a couple so far. Depay and Fekir are the most creative individuals with three assists each, and there is no doubt they could create havoc in the Jordan Pickford’s box on Thursday, so Everton defense must keep a close eye on the pair. Genesio is delighted to have almost all of his players available for this encounter as only the midfielder Pape Cheikh cannot feature due to a sprained ankle. The player who joined from Celta Vigo this summer has yet to make a debut for the Kids.
Everton (Eng) vs. Lyon (Fra) – Match Prediction
Everton defense is far from convincing at the moment, but the same can be said for Lyon, so I am expecting to see goals on both sides here, especially as the Toffees need to play attacking football.
MY PICK: Both teams to score YES (-145)
Atalanta (Ita) vs. Apollon (Cyp)
Three-Way: Atalanta -263; X: +525 Draw; 2: Apollon +1400
Spread -1.5: Atalanta -112; Apollon +108
Total +3: Over +106; Under -116
ATALANTA
The Goddess is at the top of the Europa League group E with four points from the opening two matches, and a 3-0 thrashing of Everton showed that Atalanta is a serious team with plenty of quality players, so this group is going to be highly interesting until the very last minute. Ataista are not in the best form at the moment as they won only once in the previous six games, but the visit of Apollon could be a perfect opportunity for them to establish themselves at as the leaders of this group.
Atalanta played ten games in the 2017/18 season so far, recording three victories, four draws, and three defeats, with a goal difference of 17:14, which is 3.1 goals per contest on average. The Goddess is not playing European home matches in Bergamo but in Reggio Emilia; however, Atalanta recorded all four wins at home this year and failed to score on only one occasion – in a 0-1 loss to Roma. They scored 16 of total 17 goals at their own turf, so Apollon will have a mountain to climb to get a positive result on Thursday night.
The Argentinean Papu Gomez is the team’s leading scorer with five goals in ten appearances, while the midfielder Bryan Cristante bagged four thus far. When it comes to best assist-makers, Andrea Petagna and Gomez are the most creative individuals with three dishes each. The centre-back Rafael Toloi is close to returning from a muscle injury and is listed as doubtful for this tilt, while the midfielder Joao Schmidt is out with a meniscus injury and cannot help his teammates on this one.
APOLLON
The Blue-Whites are without a loss in the Cypriot First Division, while they are playing well in the Europa League as they drew the first two matches, including the one at Goodison Park when they fought to snatch a draw last in a game. Apollon are unbeaten in the previous 11 games, and both Lyon and Everton failed to defeat them, so the visitors do have solid chance to stay undefeated against Atalanta on Thursday in the Europa League round 3 matchup.
Apollon played 14 games so far in the 2017/18 campaign, recording seven victories, six draws, and one loss, with a goal difference of 29:15, which is just over 3.1 goals per contest on average. When it comes to matches away from Tsirion Stadium, Apollon drew the last five, but they did score and concede in each of eight visits in this season. Atalanta are a firm favorite to win this duel but the visitors are a tricky team, and it’s not going to be easy as the bookies are suggesting.
Emilio Zelaya, Alex Silva, and Andre Schembri are the team’s top scorers with four goals each, while the left-back Jander with three, and Anton Maglica, Adrian Sardinero, and Nicolas Martinez are essential contributors as well. The Brazilian Da Silva leads the team with six assists to his name, while Schembri and Croatian midfielder Antonio Jakolis recoded three dishes each. Head coach Sofronis Avgousti has all of his players healthy and available for this clash as no recent injuries occurred.
Atalanta (Ita) vs. Apollon (Cyp) – Match Prediction
Apollon is a tough team to beat as they record says it all, so I am not convinced Atalanta will beat them by more than a goal.
MY PICK: AH -1.5 Apollon (+108)
