Football 
Horse Racing Europa Conference League Acca Tips: It’s Now Or Never Across The Continent
Forget your Champions League, forget your Europa League, the Europa Conference League has a whopping 45 matches taking place on Thursday across the continent. Last season’s semi finalists, Basel, have their work cut out in Kazakhstan whilst there’s everything to play for at the Bakcell Arena in Azerbaijan.
Slovenian outfit NK Celje are almighty underdogs as they head to Portugal, but confidence levels should be strong after an action-packed opening tie. Let’s hope the second legs are just as exciting as the first, and the 7.42 acca has a chance of getting over the line.
- Tobol vs Basel: Over 2.5 Goals
- Neftchi Baku vs Zeljeznicar: Over 2.25 Goals
- Guimaraes vs NK Celje: BTTS (Yes)
Acca odds: 7.42
Odds via bet365 as at 09:00, August 2nd 2023. Odds may now differ.
Tobol vs Basel: Goals and Basel go hand in hand
Kazakhstan, Europa Conference League, Thursday, August 3rd, 15:00 (UK)
Centralnyi Stadion is our first destination as we head to Kostanay in Kazakhstan, where Basel have plenty of work to do after suffering a shock 3-1 defeat in Switzerland last week.
The first leg epitomised the old saying, ‘It was a game of two halves’. The Swiss Super League side dominated the opening 45 and led at the break. Milic Curcic’s side bagged a trio of goals whilst Thierno Barry and Riccardo Calafiori were both dismissed for the hosts, all within 26 second-half minutes.
Basel arrives here as the favourites, around the even money mark whilst they’re 5.00 to overturn the deficit and qualify on the night. Tobol are 3.25 to win on the night and as little as 1.16 to qualify for the next round.
There will be some point within the 90 where Basel will have to attack with real purpose, that’ll mean extra bodies will fly forward, leaving themselves vulnerable on the counter. There’s no doubting their ability to score goals, but they have a tendency to concede a fair few themselves.
I’m keen to get onside with the goals here; Tobol performs well when playing at home and are very useful for a goal. Given their two-goal cushion, they can afford to play conservatively and hit Basel on the break. The Swiss side won 5-2 over the weekend, so confidence levels should be reasonably high.
Basel reached the semifinals of this competition last season; going out this early will be an utter disappointment for the club and, of course, the supporters. The pressure is on them to put things right, and most certainly shouldn’t be written off.
- Selection: Tobol vs Basel – Over 2.5 Goals
- Best Odds: 1.875
- Bookmaker: bet365
- Stake: 5/10
Neftchi Baku vs Zeljeznicar: A continuing goal trend in Baku
Azerbaijan, Europa Conference League, Thursday, August 3rd, 18:00 (UK)
It’s all to play for in Azerbaijan as Zeljeznicar and Neftci Baku played out a 2-2 in the first leg in front of 13,000 supporters in Sarajevo. Dzenan Haracic and Joseph Amoah scored for the hosts, while veteran Aleksandar Kosoric put one into his net. A 95th-minute equaliser from Rahman Hadzhiyev now puts this tie firmly in the balance.
Adrian Mutu’s side finished third in the 22/23 Azerbaijan Premier League campaign. Fifty-seven goals were scored in their 18 home matches, with 12 of those witnessing three or more strikes.
The Bosnian club also ended their season in third position. They’re the underdogs heading here, but this clash should be somewhat entertaining. Nermin Basic’s boys have seen plenty of goals in recent weeks. They knocked out Belarusian outfit Dinamo Minsk in the previous round, 4-3 on aggregate, after a 2-2 draw and a 2-1 away in Baku, a neutral location.
The goal line is set at 2.25, being available to back at 1.80; this gives us a little cushion if exactly two goals were to be scored on the night. BTTS is a pick’em, suggesting you’d be brave to go against it.
- Selection: Neftchi Baku vs Zeljeznicar – Over 2.25 Goals
- Best Odds: 1.800
- Bookmaker: bet365
- Stake: 5/10
More Neftchi Baku vs Zeljeznicar Tips
Guimaraes vs NK Celje: Don’t rule them out, just yet
Portugal, Europa Conference League, Thursday, August 3rd, 20:15 (UK)
The 2,840 fans in attendance at the Stadion Z’dezele were awarded with an absolute treat; seven goals were scored between the two sides in an evenly contested affair. Guimaraes are heavy favourites to get themselves over the line, but they’ll have some doubts after conceding three in Slovenia.
Moreno’s side are overwhelming favourites to qualify. Their price is no bigger than the 1.05 bet365 has available, whilst multiple firms have the visitors priced up at a whopping 11.0.
Aljosa Matko is the danger man for the Slovenian side. He bagged 14 times across 30 appearances last season for his side and scored the fourth goal in the seven-goal thriller. Celje couldn’t arrive here in better scoring form; they found the back of the net five times on Sunday afternoon in the Slovenian top flight.
Guimaraes, you could say, lack sharpness. They’ve played a number of friendly matches in July and have kept a single clean sheet in those six matches. The price of BTTS is appealing and an angle I’m happy to select for this clash. The emphasis is on the Celje, they must score, or they’ll be dumped out of the competition.
- Selection: Guimaraes vs NK Celje – BTTS (Yes)
- Best Odds: 2.20
- Bookmaker: bet365
- Stake: 5/10
More Guimaraes vs NK Celje Tips
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