The UEFA Europa League group phase continues this Thursday, so take a look at our tips and predictions for the Group J matches. With plenty of picks and markets to choose from, don’t waste your time and enter the action at Get More Sports.
Ostersunds (Swe) vs. Athletic Bilbao (Spa)
Three-Way: Ostersunds +400; X: +270 Draw; 2: Athletic Bilbao -105
Spread +0.5: Ostersunds +102; Athletic Bilbao -111
Total +2.5: Over +123; Under -133
OSTERSUNDS
The most pleasant surprise of this year’s edition of the Europa League continues to display amazing performances in the group stage after collecting maximum points from the first two matches. Ostersunds defeated Zorya in Ukraine and then beat Hertha Berlin at home, without conceding a single goal in the process. Nobody expected them to play so well, but the Swedes are an excellent team, and they have a historic chance to qualify for the knockout phase in their first-ever participation in the UEFA Europa League. Ostersunds are in good form of four undefeated matches, while they didn’t allow a goal in the previous two, so Bilbao, who are without a goal scored in the group, will have a lot work to do to secure a victory at Jämtkraft Arena.
Ostersunds played 36 games so far in the 2017/18, recording 18 victories, 11 draws, and seven losses, with a goal difference of 57:36, which is 2.58 goals per contest on average. When it comes to home matches, Ostersunds suffered only one defeat in 18 outings, and the Spanish visitors are facing a massive challenge on Thursday night.
The Iranian striker Saman Ghoddos is currently the team’s leading scorer with 14 goals in 24 appearances; the left midfielder Jonah Bertilsson has ten, Brwa Nouri added six, while Ken Sema, Hosam Aiesh, and Jamie Hopcutt contributed with five goals each. The right midfielder Sema recorded fantastic 15 assists to his name, while Ghoddos is behind him with eight dishes thus far. Head coach Graham Potter has all of his players available and healthy for this encounter as no fresh injuries occurred.
ATHLETIC BILBAO
The Lions won only one game in the last eight, and it was over Sevilla this weekend, so that must be a good sign for them prior to this duel in Sweden. Bilbao has been disappointing in the Europa League as they collected just one point and even suffered a 0:1 home loss to the Ukrainians Zorya. It is a must-win match for them as a potential defeat will practically kill their chances of making it to the knockout phase.
Bilbao has played 14 games in this campaign, recording six wins, four draws, and four losses, with a goal difference of 18:13, which is a bit over 2.2 goals per contest on average. They are without an away win in the previous four outings, but managed to score five goals in the last two, and considering that Bilbao needs a victory at Ostersunds, I expect them to score.
The veteran striker Aritz Aduriz is the team’s top scorer with seven goals; Raul Garcia has four to his name, while Inaki Williams and Iker Muniain scored a couple of goals each. There are several highly gifted and creative players in the squad, and Williams, Muniain, and Markel Susaeta are the best assist-makers with four dishes thus far. However, the head coach José Ángel Ziganda will be without Muniain for the remainder of the season as the left-winger suffered a cruciate ligament rupture, while the right-back Oscar de Marcos is out with a sprained ankle.
Ostersunds (Swe) vs. Athletic Bilbao (Spa) – Match Prediction
The Spaniards don’t have any room for mistakes in the Europa League, so only a win is an option here for them, and the attacking football will leave space for the hosts to score some goals. I believe we will see a lot of action on both ends, and hopefully, goals.
MY PICK: Both teams to score YES (+104)
Zorya Luhansk (Ukr) vs. Hertha Berlin (Ger)
Three-Way: Zorya Luhansk +325; X: +240 Draw; 2: Hertha Berlin +120
Spread +0.5: Zorya Luhansk -119; Hertha Berlin +110
Total +2: Over -120; Under +114
ZORYA LUHANSK
The Ukrainians are in a surprisingly good position prior to this tilt after a crucial 1:0 victory over Bilbao in Spain, so they are now in the 2nd place in the group with three points, two more than Hertha and Athletic. Zorya is without a loss in the previous five games, but they are not playing very well in the Premier League as they are currently sitting in the 7th place with 17 points behind the league leaders Shakhtar Donetsk.
Zorya played 14 games so far this season, recording four victories, five draws, and five defeats, with a goal difference of 17:17, which is almost 2.5 goals per contest on average. Zorya does have a lot of problems when it comes to home matches as they won only one from seven, and the fact that they are playing European home games at Arena Lviv, instead of Slavutych Arena is no helping them at all. Hertha is well aware of Zorya’s poor home form and will try to exploit their weaknesses on Thursday night.
The right-back Evgen Opanasenko and striker Iury are the team’s leading scorers with three goals to their respective names, while Artem Gromov, Igor Kharatin, and Dmytro Grechyshkin are following them with a couple of goals each. Kharatin, Gromov, and Oleksandr Karavaev added a pair of assists, and they have the ability to create havoc in front of the opposing keepers, so Hertha should keep a close eye on a trio of midfielders. The left midfielder Vladyslav Kalitvintsev is out of this clash with a knee injury, while the centre-back Vasyl Pryjma also cannot help his teammates due to an injury.
HERTHA BERLIN
The Old Lady is in a similar situation like Bilbao, and the win is the only option for them against the Ukrainians, but the current form is far from encouraging. Hertha won just two out of the last ten matches, and are winless in the previous four, failing to score in three of them. The most recent home defeat to Schalke left them in the 13th place in Bundesliga with ten points behind the leaders Dortmund, and the fans are already devastated, so a potential loss here would probably be the last for coach Pal Dardai.
Hertha played 11 games in the 2017/18 season, recording three wins, four draws, and four losses, with a goal difference of 10:11, which is 1.9 goals per contest on average. When it comes to matches outside Olympiastadion, the Old Lady is without a victory in the previous four, scoring just one goal in the process. It’s not going to be easy in Ukraine, but I believe the visitors are slight favorites in this Europa League matchup and are looking closer to the win.
The Australian right-winger Mathew Leckie is the team’s top scorer with four goals to his name, while Salomon Kalou added a couple of goals thus far. The veteran striker Vedad Ibisevic has three assists and is the leading assist-maker, while Leckie and the centre-back Karim Rekik contributed with two dishes each. Dardai cannot count on Vladimir Darida (ligaments), keeper Thomas Kraft (muscle), Maximilian Mittelstadt (nasal fracture), Julian Schieber (hyaline cartilage), and Sebastian Langkamp (calf) as they are all injured and unavailable for this duel.
Zorya Luhansk (Ukr) vs. Hertha Berlin (Ger) – Match Prediction
The Germans cannot afford to lose, and the victory is much more needed, so I opt for the visitors win.
MY PICK: Hertha to win (+120)
