Round 6 of the Europa League is the last chance saloon for teams still in contention for the knockout rounds.
Here is a look at some of the games with odds from BetXchange.
Arsenal VS FC Zurich – Emirates Stadium, London
Arsenal has qualified through in the Europa League, but they need a win at home against Zurich to guarantee the top spot in Group A and to advance straight to the Round of 16. Their Swiss opponents are currently bottom of the group and crashing out of Europe, but they are just one point behind Bodo/Glimt in third, a spot that would see them enter the Europa Conference League.
Arsenal needed their 5-0 thumping of Nottingham Forest at the weekend after a few wins – and their 2-0 defeat at the hands of PSV – where they weren’t playing to the standards they had set earlier in the season. Zurich has won two in a row after sacking their manager – they hadn’t won t all in 13 games prior – but Arsenal will be way too much here. Play the score and take Arsenal to win by multiple goals (3:1 is 8/1, and 4:0 is 7/1 as examples).
Roma VS PFC Ludogorets – Stadio Olimpico, Rome
An interesting game this, as heavy outsiders Ludogorets currently sit second in the group ahead of Roma, with both teams on seven points. Real Betis (13 points) has run away with the group, while HJK (one point) is dead last, so this becomes a straight shot with the winner reaching the knockout round playoffs and the loser dropping into the Conference League.
Ludogorets beat Roma 2-1 in Bulgaria on the opening matchday, which is still a shock. Roma’s form has been spotty all year long, and it is worth noting that Sunday’s Serie A fixture sees them taking on Lazio in the always-important Rome derby. Expect changes to their lineup, and while a win is expected – Ludogorets don’t travel well – I wouldn’t be against a play to nothing on a draw here.
Real Sociedad VS Manchester United – Anoeta Stadium, San Sebastian
This should be the best game of the round. Real Sociedad are a perfect five wins from five games in the Europa League – the only team to do so – yet they are only three points ahead of Manchester United, who have four wins and just one defeat at the hands of the Spanish side.
Sociedad has built their Europa League run on a defense that has conceded just once in five games. If they can avoid defeat by more than one goal here, they will top the group and avoid the knockout round playoffs, where they (or United) will have to face a team dropping from the Champions League. Two defeats in a row in La Liga are concerning, but I like United – revitalized under Erik ten Hag – to win in San Sebastian on Thursday at 12/10.
Feyenoord VS Lazio – De Kuip, Rotterdamn
Group F is a disaster to try to predict. Lazio is top with eight points ahead of Sturm Graz on goal difference. Feyenoord is third with five points, but they are ahead of fourth-placed Midtjylland on goal difference only. To make it weirder, the teams in third and fourth have positive goal differences, while the first and second-placed sides have negative. This one will have a wild finish.
Lazio lost at the weekend to Salernitana with a 3-1 defeat that came out of nowhere after a decent run of form. The loss of Ciro Immobile until after the World Cup hurts, and the Dutch side will throw everything at them here. Lazio, however, knows a draw will suffice, and I like them to get that at 26/10.
