Europa League betting tips: Check out our three fancies for Thursday
Thu, 17 Jul 2025
Thu, 17 Jul 2025
The Europa League is down to its final four, with both Tottenham and Manchester United still harbouring hopes of a continental success this term.
Our stats man Felix Morson-Pate (@felixpatelgop) offers up three fancies from across the two first-leg encounters.
The Williams brothers have been at the heart of Bilbao’s attack in both La Liga and the Europa League this season, and I expect them both to give a stern examination to a faltering Manchester United backline that only just came through a see saw quarter final with Lyon, conceding six goals across the tie in the process
The elder Williams has six goal contributions in 11 Europa League appearances this term, in addition to 14 in 32 for the top four chasing Basque side, and given his propensity to drift inside from the wing and interchange between a central and a more right hand sided role, he should be able to target some of the spaces in the channels that can be left in Ruben Amorim’s back three system.
With Bilbao having an incredibly strong home record, I struggle to see them not going to the second leg at Old Trafford holding an advantage, and if anyone is going to set the tone on Thursday night then I reckon it will be the in form Ghanaian.
The market would suggest that Spurs should comfortably win their home leg against Norwegian outfit (and semi final debutants) Bodo/Glimt in what is likely to be an open, entertaining affair, but I hold more than a sliver of hope for the visitors.
Kjetil Knutsen’s side have been one of the standouts that I’ve watched this season, and indeed for a number of years prior. Having teasing a run like this before, they’ve finally kicked on this campaign – defeating Lazio on penalties in the quarter finals, as well as knocking out reigning Conference League champions Olympiakos before that.
One man who seems to thrive in a yellow shirt, despite falling a little flat elsewhere, is Jens Petter Hauge. The winger, adept on either flank, disappointed in spells in Milan and Frankfurt but is undoubtedly still a very talented player and I think he could thrive in the likely transitional nature of this game.
In the Europa League this season he’s averaging 1.6 shots per 90 with 0.44 of those on target, which on first glance feels a little low. Digging deeper, you’ll see the vast majority of his efforts come from a fairly central position within the 18 yard box, something which in many cases suggests a possible uptick in conversion rate. If Hauge can get in behind Pedro Porro consistently, we could be looking at a very generous price.
This tie feels absolutely imperative for the future of Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham Hotspur.
As his last chance to win a trophy in his second season (which he self proclaimed he always does), they’ve been presented with an entirely winnable semi final here, albeit one where I think they must press home their advantage in the first leg due to the nature of their trip to the Arctic Circle.
Celtic, Roma and most recently Lazio are just some of the top European sides who have been turned over with relative ease when travelling as far north as you could possibly imagine to face Bodo/Glimt in UEFA competition over the last five years, so for Spurs to go there and not have to worry about forcing a result, or even suffering a small defeat, they must give this first leg everything, and there’s reason to believe they can
In spite of their at-best patchy Premier League form, Postecoglou’s men have done well in Europe, with the quarter final victory over Frankfurt particularly impressing me.
Spurs have also not lost a UEFA game at home in their last 19, and with a raucous crowd cheering them on in what promises to be a very open, end to end encounter, I think the price about them to net at least three times is rather appealing.
Inaki Williams to score or assist vs Manchester United
Jens Petter Hauge 1+ shot on target vs Tottenham
Over 2.5 Tottenham goals vs Bodo/Glimt
Pays a best price of 16/1 with William Hill
Felix Morson-Pate is a part of the Odds Now football tipping team, taking a data-driven and statistical approach to his betting.
As well as presenting the Bettor Days Ahead podcast on the Odds Now YouTube channel alongside Matt Hill, Felix helps readers unearth value in some of the world's more obscure leagues via his World of Wagers column.
Felix works in the betting industry in a trading team and details his own self-made models via his Looks Good on Paper personal project.
Felix Morson-Pate is a part of the Odds Now football tipping team, taking a data-driven and statistical approach to his betting.
As well as presenting the Bettor Days Ahead podcast on the Odds Now YouTube channel alongside Matt Hill, Felix helps readers unearth value in some of the world's more obscure leagues via his World of Wagers column.
Felix works in the betting industry in a trading team and details his own self-made models via his Looks Good on Paper personal project.
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