The UEFA Europa League group phase continues this Thursday, so take a look at our tips and predictions for the Group K matches. With plenty of picks and markets to choose from, don’t waste your time and enter the action at Get More Sports.
Waregem (Bel) vs. Vitesse (Ned)
Three-Way: Waregem +154; X: +261 Draw; 2: Vitesse +200
Spread 0: Waregem -120; Vitesse +119
Total +2.5: Over -125; Under +121
WAREGEM
The Belgian Cup holders are on a negative run of three consecutive defeats, and with a pair of losses in the first two matches in the Europa League, Waregem is not in a good position to advance to the knockout phase. They conceded eight and scored only one goal in the past three displays, and it would be surprising to see Waregem going through with Lazio and Nice already collected six points.
Waregem have played 14 games so far in the 2017/18, recording six victories, one draw, and seven losses, with a goal difference of 25:25, which is a bit over 3.50 goals per contest on average. When it comes to matches at Regenboogstadion, Waregem has only two wins, but they managed to score in each of six home games, and I think they will do it again on Thursday night.
The Nigerian forward Peter Olayinka, Serban striker Ivan Saponjic and Anderlecht’s loanee Aaron Leya Iseka are the team’s top scorers with four goals to their respective names, while Onur Kaya and Nill De Pauw with three, and Davy De Fauw with two are right behind them on the goal-scoring chart. Olayinka is an evident MVP of this team as he also has eight assists so far, while De Pauw added a couple of dishes. Head coach Francky Dury is happy to have almost all of his players healthy and available as only goalkeeper Sammy Bossut is out and cannot help his teammates.
VITESSE
The Dutch Cup holders are in a similar position like Waregem as they suffered two defeats in the opening two matches of the UEFA Europa League, so a victory here is an imperative for them. Vitesse has been much better in the Eredivisie, as they are currently sitting in the 4th place with six points behind the leaders PSV, but they won only once in the previous seven outings, which is quite disappointing.
Vittese played 12 games in this campaign so far, recording four wins, three draws, and five defeats, with a goal difference of 19:17, which is precisely three goals per contest on average. Considering Waregem’s record and the way they’re playing, I would be shocked if the two teams fail to combine for at least two goals here. Interestingly, Vitesse recorded three of four victories away from home, so they are slight favorites on this one, at least in my opinion.
The Slovenian striker Tim Matavz is the team’s leading scorer with six goals to his name; the left-winger Bryan Linssen added four, while the centre-back Guram Kashia, attacking midfielder Thomas Bruns, and the right-winger Milot Rashica scored a couple of goals each. The Kosovo international Rashica and the former Man United left-back Alexander Buttner are the most creative individuals with four assists currently. Head coach Henk Fraser doesn’t have plenty of injury0related issues but will be without a pair of centre-backs Maikel van der Werff and Arnold Kruiswijk, who are sidelined with knee and back injuries, respectively.
Waregem (Bel) vs. Vitesse (Ned) – Match Prediction
The matches between Belgians and Dutchmen are usually entertaining and with lots of goals, and I don’t believe this Europa League matchup will end scoreless. Both teams need a victory here, so I am expecting a bunch of goals on both sides.
MY PICK: Over 2.5 goals (-125)
Nice (Fra) vs. Lazio (Ita)
Three-Way: Nice +167; X: +250 Draw; 2: Lazio +195
Spread 0: Nice -116; Lazio +112
Total +2.5: Over -102; Under +104
NICE
The Eaglets are at the top of the Europa League group K with six points from the first two matches, thanks to big wins over Waregem (5:1) and Vitesse (3:0), and this clash with Lazio will likely decide the winner of the group. Following an excellent stint of five games without a loss, Nice suffered a couple of straight defeats in Ligue 1 to Marseille and Montpellier. Those losses left them in the 14th position with just ten points from nine games.
Nice have played 15 matches in the 2017/18 campaign, recording five victories, three draws, and defeats, with a goal difference of 23:22, which is exactly three goals per contest on average. When it comes to displays at Allianz Riviera, the Eaglets have three wins and three losses, but they failed to score just once in eight outings, and I expect them to find the net behind Thomas Strakosha this time around.
Alassane Plea and Mario Balotelli are the team’s top scorers with seven goals each, but they lack an adequate support from their teammates as Allan Saint-Maximin is the next behind them on the score-chart with a couple of goals. The right-winger Pierre Lees Melou and the midfielder Jean Michael Seri is the best assist-makers with four dishes to their respective names and should be closed down if Lazio wants to keep the ball distribution away from their box. With the exception of long-term absentees Mickael Le Bihan (broken tibia and fibula) and Wylan Cyprien (broken leg), the head coach Lucien Favre is without injured players for this encounter.
LAZIO
The Biancocelesti are in a fantastic form of eight wins in the last ten matches and are on a run of four consecutive victories, including the most recent one against the champions Juventus in Turin. Lazio is performing very well in Serie A where they are in the 4th position with five points behind Napoli, while they have a great chance to compete in the knockout phase of the UEFA Europa League. The Eagles have six points thanks to wins over Vitesse and Waregem, but now they are facing a real test against Nice in France.
Lazio played 11 games in the 2017/18 season so far, recording nine victories, a draw, and only one loss, with a goal difference of 29:14, which is 3.9 goals per contest on average. Their matches are quite amusing and with plenty of goals, and I believe we will see a bunch when Nice and Lazio met on Thursday night. The interesting fact is that Lazio won all six away games this season, and managed to score at least two goals in each of them so this clash could be one of the most entertaining in the third round.
The Italian international Ciro Immobile has been in a fantastic form this year as he already bagged 15 goals in just 11 appearances and he dominates the team’s goal-scoring chart, while Luis Alberto and Marco parole contributed with three goals each. Immobile and Alberto are also at the top of assist-chart with four dishes to their respective names, as much as the Montenegrin right-back Adam Marusic has. Head coach Simone Inzaghi cannot count on the left-back Jordan Lukaku who is out with a hamstring injury, while Dusan Basta (hamstring), Wallace (calf), Simone Palombi (laceration), and Felipe Anderson (muscle tear) are also out of the contention for this duel.
Nice (Fra) vs. Lazio (Ita) – Match Prediction
The battle for the top spot will likely bring us goals and excitement on both ends, so Both teams to score is a natural choice, considering the goal-scoring records of the rivals.
MY PICK: Both teams to score YES (-128)
