Best Of Europa League Previews

With the Champions League last-16 ties now over, the Europa League takes centre stage.

A number of first leg ties had shock results but deficits are there to be overturned. Legacies are there to be made. History needs to be written.

We’ve picked out the four best of Thursday’s matches to preview.

Arsenal vs Rennes

Unai Emery’s men avenged the FA Cup loss to Manchester United over the weekend as they became the first team to take maximum points off Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s United side in the Premier League.

Granit Xhaka’s venomous strike from distance broke the deadlock before Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang added a second from the penalty spot. The result saw the Gunners leapfrog the Red Devils into fourth spot.

Having gained reveneged in that match, Emery will be hopeful he can do the same against Rennes. The French side romped to a 3-1 win over Arsenal in the first leg despite falling behind in the third minute to a Alex Iwobi strike.

Arsenal vs Rennes match odds here

Rennes followed up their win in the Europa League with a 3-1 home win over Caen. Benjamin Bourigeaud got on the scoresheet again, opening the scoring for the home side for the second consecutive match.

No player has more goals in Ligue 1 (five) for Rennes this season than the midfielder. Julien Stephan’s team are on a five-match unbeaten streak, winning four of those, scoring eleven goals in the process and conceding just four goals.

Arsenal v Rennes Preview, Betting Tips And Enhanced Odds – Europa League Last 16, Second Leg

Dynamo Kyiv vs Chelsea

Maurizio Sarri’s men effectively ended the tie in front of their home crowd. Goals from Pedro, Willian and Callum Hudson-Odoi gave Chelsea an emphatic 3-0 lead to take to Ukraine for the second leg.

Barring an epic comeback, Chelsea are into the quarter-finals of the competition they won during the 2012/13 season.

However, the Blues needed a last-minute equaliser over the weekend against Wolves to stay within touching distance of fourth placed Arsenal. Eden Hazard’s drive from distance means the 2016/17 Premier League champions are now just three points behind the Gunners.

Chelsea vs Dynamo Kyiv match odds here

Dynamo Kyiv know a miracle is needed if they’re to progress. But a 4-0 win over Arsenal Kyiv on Sunday will have done their confidence wonders.

All four goals arrived in the opening 45 minutes with midfielder Denys Harmash netting twice for Alyaksandr Khatskevich’s side.

Dynamo Kiev v Chelsea Preview, Betting Tips And Enhanced Odds – Europa League Last 16, Second Leg

Inter Milan vs Eintracht Frankfurt

Inter Milan finally got back to winning ways on Sunday as they secured a 2-0 victory over SPAL in Serie A. The victory was their first since the second leg win against Rapid Wien in the final week of February and brought an end to their three-game winless streak.

The 0-0 draw in Germany is a tricky scoreline for Luciano Spaletti’s men. An away goal for Eintracht Frankfurt changes the complexion of the game completely but Inter can’t afford to sit back in the San Siro.

Inter Milan vs Eintracht Frankfurt match odds here

Eintracht Frankfurt are currently on an 11-match unbeaten streak after their 3-0 victory over Fortuna Dusseldorf on Monday evening. In Sebastien Haller, Luka Jovic and Ante Rebic, they have three forwards who are scoring freely.

Goncalo Paciencia, who signed from FC Porto, in July 2018, netted his first goal for the club against Fortuna and assisted one of Haller’s two goals on the night. He could be the wildcard for Adi Hutter’s side in Italy.

Slavia Prague vs Sevilla

A sensational first leg saw the Czech side return to the Eden Arena with two valuable goals thanks to strikes from Miroslav Stoch and Alex Kral in the first half in Seville.

Wissam Ben Yedder had given Sevilla a first-minute lead before Munir netted to restore their advantage just three minutes after Stoch had equalised. With it all to play for, this could be a game of goals.

Slavia Prague vs Sevilla match odds here

Sevilla hit five during their weekend win over Real Sociedad with Ben Yedder netting a hattrick.

While the hosts for Thursday’s tie netted four in the victory over Banik. However, it’s worth noting that two of the goals arrived in second-half stoppage time and made the tie look a lot more one-sided than it actually was.