Cup action continues across Europe on Thursday as we approach the business end of the season. We have games from various competitions, including the Carabao Cup, Copa del Rey, the KNVB Cup, and the Belgian Cup.
Football tipster Sam Farley has dived into the stats and form for the best fixtures and has dug up five value picks for us.
With this being a five-fold Acca, too, Paddy’s footy acca betting offer kicks in, so we’ll get our stake back if just one leg lets us down.
6:30pm – Real Sociedad v Osasuna – Under 2.5 goals
7pm – AZ Alkmaar v Quick Boys – AZ Alkmaar (HT/FT)
7:45pm – Royal Antwerp v Anderlecht – Over 2.5 goals
8pm – Liverpool v Tottenham – Liverpool to win and both teams to score
8:30pm – Valencia v Barcelona – Raphinha to score or assist
Real Sociedad v Osasuna – Under 2.5 goals
Copa del Rey match at Reale Arena, San Sebastian, Spain
TV: Premier Sports 1, 6:30pm
Real Sociedad host Osasuna in another Copa del Rey quarter-final, and with both teams desperate for a chance to win silverware, this is likely to be a tight and cagey affair.
That’s only compounded by Real Sociedad being involved, a team who have conceded just 19 La Liga goals this season, the third-fewest in the league, despite being 11th. It’s also worth flagging that six of their past seven league games at home have finished with Under 2.5 goals.
We’ve also seen Osasuna struggle away from home. They average just over a goal per game on the road and have won just one of 11 La Liga away trips. A staggering 70% of their away games in La Liga have had Under 2.5 goals, with just one since the start of October.
AZ Alkmaar v Quick Boys – AZ Alkmaar (HT/FT)
KNVB Cup match at AFAS Stadium, Alkmaar
7pm
AZ Alkmaar, currently fourth in the Eredivisie, will play Quick Boys FC in a home cup tie in the Netherlands. If you haven’t heard of Quick Boys FC, don’t worry; they’re an amateur team in the third division of Dutch football.
While Quick Boys are in title contention, that’s a long step down from the top flight, and this is a monumental task for them, especially since they are away from home.
Even with AZ’s rotation risk, they should secure the win. We can also be confident that they’ll start fast. They’ve been winning at halftime in nine of their 21 Eredivisie games and conceded the second-fewest first-half goals.
Expect them to keep Quick Boys out in the first 45 minutes while scoring before sealing a spot in the semi-finals.
Royal Antwerp v Anderlecht – Over 2.5 goals
Belgian Cup match at the BOSUIL Stadium, Antwerp
7:45pm
Antwerp host Anderlecht in the Belgian Cup just three days before they meet again in league action. Domestically, they’ve had similar seasons, with Antwerp just one point better off, despite having both won 11 league games.
They’re also within a goal of each other in terms of goals scored, and they’ve both won two of their last three in the league, showing just how close these teams are.
Anderlecht have scored in eight of their 12 league away games so far and will fancy their chances of scoring. Over 2.5 goals have also been scored in 72.7% of Royal Antwerp’s home games in the league, with six of their past seven at the Bosuilstadion.
Also, their league meeting earlier in the season saw Anderlecht win 2-1.
Liverpool v Tottenham – Liverpool to win and both teams to score
Carabao Cup match at Anfield, Liverpool
TV: Sky Sports Football / Sky Sports Main Event, 8pm
Following a 1-0 defeat in North London in the first leg, the pressure is now on Liverpool to pull something out of the bag against Tottenham at Anfield. With Arne Slot just one game away from his first chance to win silverware, we’ll likely see him put out a strong Liverpool team.
Liverpool’s chances of that are boosted by their FA Cup match against Plymouth Argyle on Sunday. This game potentially gives them a better opportunity to rest Mohamed Salah.
Liverpool have lost just three times all season and are unlikely to do so again, especially with the glamour of playing at Wembley on the line and a Spurs defence who are still very shaky despite two clean sheets against Elfsborg and Brentford.
After all, we’ve seen Everton and Leicester City score multiple goals past them in the last couple of weeks. However, Ange Postecoglou’s team have goals in them, too and have scored in 10 straight games.
Valencia v Barcelona – Raphinha to score or assist
Copa del Rey match at the Mestalla, Valencia, Spain
TV: Premier Sports 1, 8:30pm
We’re at the quarter-final stage of the Copa del Rey, meaning we’re likely to see many of the big boys on the field for Barcelona this Thursday, which should be a frightening prospect for Valencia, who sit second from bottom in La Liga. These teams met at the end of January, with Barcelona thrashing Valencia 7-1.
In that game, the former Leeds man Raphinha got on the scoresheet, and he’s likely to be involved with a goal, either scoring or setting one up, again.
He has three goals and two assists in his past four games and has had an excellent season for Barca so far, netting 20 goals and setting up a further 10. He can play down either the right or left flank, forming a dangerous connection with Robert Lewandowski and contributing more than his fair share of goals.
Thursday’s football betting tips
6:30pm – Real Sociedad v Osasuna – Under 2.5 goals
7pm – AZ Alkmaar v Quick Boys – AZ Alkmaar (HT/FT)
7:45pm – Royal Antwerp v Anderlecht – Over 2.5 goals
8pm – Liverpool v Tottenham – Liverpool to win and both teams to score
8:30pm – Valencia v Barcelona – Raphinha to score or assist
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
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