There weren’t really any surprises in the first leg of the Europa League Quarterfinals. Every home team took care of business, notching a victory and putting pressure on their opponent to even the score on their home turf this week.
Arsenal and Atletico Madrid were both easy winners and look set to advance, but the other two ties are not so clear. Both Red Bull Salzburg and Olympique Marseille have a good opportunity to pick up wins and advance to the semifinals in their home tilts this week. It will certainly be interesting to see what happens.
Don't miss the second leg of the Europa League Quarterfinals on Thursday, April 12, 2018. All four matches will be broadcast under the FOX umbrella at 3:05 p.m. ET. Check out all the action this week at BookMaker.
Europa League Quarterfinals Second Leg Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu
Arsenal -102
CSKA Moscow +266
Draw +269
Over/Under 2.5 and 3
Alexandre Lacazette and Aaron Ramsey both notched a brace in the first leg of this tie to put Arsenal up 4-1 heading into the second leg in Moscow. The action was fast and furious early on, with all five goals being scored in the first 35 minutes, leading to the over being one of the easiest cashes you will find in European soccer.
The over is a good bet in the second leg too. Both of these clubs will play an open style of football, and CSKA proved it can create chances against Arsenal in London. Arsenal nearly blew a big lead against AC Milan in the last round because the club was too content to play defensively, and they won’t make that same mistake again.
Atletico Madrid -119
Sporting CP +373
Draw +241
Over/Under 2 and 2.5
It took just 23 seconds for Atletico Madrid to score against Sporting in the first leg, and that unraveled the visitors’ plans. Sporting were dreadful along the back all night long in Madrid last week, and it’s a wonder Atletico only netted two goals. Diego Costa missed a sure thing for a third that would have been a backbreaker, giving Sporting at least a glimmer of hope heading into this one.
Scoring on Atletico won’t be easy though. This is arguably the best defense in all of European football, and they have been stolid at the back since dropping down to Europa League. Sporting have a few playmakers, like Bruno Fernandes, but they will have to be playing at a world class level for Sporting to win by enough to advance.
Lazio Roma +205
Red Bull Salzburg +123
Draw +266
Over/Under 3
The first leg of this tie was the most action packed of any of four Europa League matches last week. These two teams played a very physical match which saw 37 combined fouls, two penalty kicks and six goals. Lazio ended up emerging victorious by a 4-2 margin, but those two away goals could be the saving grace for RB Salzburg.
Each team proved adept at carving up the other’s back line, so the over is a very solid bet in this one. Look for Ciro Immobile and Moanes Dabour to both have solid performances up top.
Red Bull Leipzig +194
Olympique Marseille +136
Draw +248
Over/Under 2.5 and 3
This was a relatively even match in the first leg, with RB Leipzig winning 1-0. The lone goal came off of a counter near the end of the first half that could have easily been called back for a foul in the midfield.
Each side was able to get a few chances and fired 10 or more shots on net, so the second leg should be more open than you’d think. Marseille has some real playmakers on their team, like Florian Thauvin and Dimitri Payet, and that should give them the upper hand in the game and the tie.
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