The UEFA Europa League group phase is starting 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 join the action at Get More Sports.
Waregem (Bel) vs. Nice (Fra)
Three-way: 1: Waregem +250; X: +264 Draw; 2: Nice +135
Spread +0.5: Waregem -137; Nice +131
Total +2.5: Over -111; Under +119
WAREGEM
The Belgium Cup winners qualified directly for the Europa League this year, and it will be their third time in the group stage; the first since the 2013-14 season. They made it through the groups in 2006-07, though, but Newcastle United stopped them in the round 32, so the Belgians would like to repeat that success this time around. However, that is easier said than done as Nice, Vitesse, and Lazio will be quite tough opponents to beat.
Waregem played seven matches so far in this campaign, six of them in the Belgian Jupiler League and one in the Super Cup, when they lost to Anderlecht, 1-2. In total, Zulte has three victories, three defeats, and a draw, scoring 17 and allowing nine goals, which means that we saw 3.7 goals on average per game when Waregem are involved. That is quite promising fact ahead of this clash, so I anticipate a lot of action at Regenboogstadion on Thursday night. They scored five and conceded four in three home games so far, which is three goals per game, and that also suggests Waregem’s matches are interesting to watch.
The attacking midfielder Onur Kaya and forward Peter Olayinka are the team’s top scorer with three goals each, but Waregem has plenty of other players who can be dangerous in the attack such as Nill De Pauw, Ivan Saponjic, Aaron Leya Iseka, and Davy De Fauw, who all recorded a pair of goals. Olayinka is the evident MVP of this team, adding six assists to his name, and scoring in the most recent match against Kortrijk that finished 2-2. The head coach Francky Dury cannot count on the goalkeeper Sammy Bossut, while the left-back Kingsley Madu is doubtful with an ankle injury.
NICE
Nice was one step away from qualifying for the Champions League after eliminating Ajax, but the Italian side Napoli proved to be too much for the Eaglets, so they had to satisfy with the Europa League instead. The things haven’t started in the way head coach Lucien Favre imagined in the beginning of the Ligue 1 as Nice suffered two defeats in the opening two matches. However, they managed to win in two out of previous three games, including the recent thrashing of the champions Monaco at home, 4-0. That result was quite surprising and it will give a huge morale boost prior to the visit to Belgium and duel with Waregem.
Nice played nine games so far in the season, recording only two wins, two draws, and five losses, scoring ten and allowing 13 goals, which is 2.55 goals per game. What is rather concerning for Favre and Nice, their away form is disastrous as they lost three and drew one match, allowing eight and scoring just two goals. The Eaglets conceded in every game away from home, so Waregem will have a decent chance to bag one or two goals against the Frenchmen.
Mario Balotelli scored a brace against Monaco and he has three goals in total so far, while Allasane Plea also contributed with three goals. The holding central midfielder Jean-Michael Serri recorded three assists, and his creativity and box-to-box movement will present a big threat to the Waregem’s defense. Wesley Sneijder, who joined on a free transfer from Galatasaray, didn’t play against Monaco, but I expect him to take his No. 10 role behind Balotelli, and he could make the difference in Belgium as he’s still searching for his first goal for the new club. Wylan Cyprien is a long-term absentee with a broken leg, while Mickael Le Bihan and Malang Sarr are doubtful for this clash.
Waregem (Bel) vs. Nice (Fra) – Match Prediction
Waregem is a highly efficient team but they also concede a lot of goals, so I expect to see minimum three goals in this Europa League clash, as nice should find the way to the net as well. I have a dilemma between over 2.5 and both teams to score, but I’ll go with the latter.
MY PICK: Both teams to score YES (-141)
Vitesse (Ned) vs. Lazio (Ita)
Three-way: 1: Vitesse +333; X: +281 Draw; 2: Lazio +100
Spread +0.5: Vitesse +106; Lazio +100
Total +2.5: Over -108; Under +106
VITESSE
The Dutch Cup winners will participate in the Europa League for the fourth time in five years, and they never get past the group stage. It will not be easy this time around as well, as Lazio and Nice are tough opponents to beat, but Vitesse is in a fine form at the moment, and they will try to take the advantage of the home field in the opening game of the Group K.
Vitesse played four matches in 2017-18, all of them in the Dutch Eredivisie, recording three victories and one defeat, scoring 11 and allowing four goals. The statistics show us that we saw 3.75 in Vitesse’s matches on average, and considering Lazio’s efficiency in the attack, this match should provide at least three goals and lots of excitement for the spectators. That only loss came at home against AZ Alkmaar, 1-2, but Vitesse scored five in two games at GelreDome, so Lazio must be aware of Vitesse’s goal-scoring record in front of their own fans. The recent success at Excelsior and a 3-0 win injected a certain dose of confidence in Vitesse’s players, so they will be highly motivated to show their best display against Lazio.
The Slovenia striker, Tim Matavz, who came from Augsburg this summer, is the team’s leading scorer with four goals, while Bryan Linssen and Thomas Bruns are following him with a pair of goals each. Milot Rashica and Luc Castaignos are the players to watch, while the former Man United’s left-back Alexander Buttner leads Vitesse in assists with three. The head coach Henk Fraser doesn’t have injured players in the squad as all the players are healthy and raring to go.
LAZIO
Lazio have been in a fantastic form since the beginning of the campaign and they are taking this competition quite seriously, as one of the opportunities to qualify for the Champions League next year, but of course, they know they have to win the Uefa Europa League first. This is not an easy group, but Lazio should be able to handle it and finish in one of the first two places that lead to the knockout phase.
The Eagles played in four games in 2017-18; one of them was in the Italian Super Cup when they defeated the reigning champions Juventus, 3-2. In the Serie A, Lazio recorded two victories and a draw, scoring six, and conceding two goals, while in total, they bagged nine goals and allowed four. That is 3.25 goals per contest, and judging by the previous match in which Lazio destroyed Milan by four goals to one, they are on the right course to score some goals in Arnhem as well.
Ciro Immobile is the best player and leader of this team; he already scored six goals thus far, while Marco Parolo leads Lazio in assists as he recorded three. Immobile, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Parolo, and Luis Alberto could turn out to be match winners at Vitesse, but Simone Inzaghi will be without Felipe Anderson and Nani for this clash, as they are out with a muscle and knee injury, respectively.
Vitesse (Ned) vs. Lazio (Ita) – Match Prediction
These teams are excellent in the offense and I am pretty sure that there will be goals on both ends, but Lazio has a better squad is more experienced, so I am backing them to win the opening game of the Europa League group K.
MY PICK: Lazio to win (+100)
Additional Pick: Both teams to score YES (-125)
