Thursday's Europa League treble comes in at 5/1!
Napoli v Arsenal
Arsenal will be delighted with their 2-0 home win against Napoli in the first-leg of their Europa League tie, and while they have a very strong chance of progressing to the semis, I’m backing Unai Emery’s men to lose on the night in Naples for this second-leg.
While they beat 10-man Watford—courtesy of a Ben Foster howler—by the skin of their teeth on Monday, The Gunners’ away record is still really poor, and I simply can’t see them beating this Napoli side who have lost at home just once all season.
The fact that Arsenal can even afford to lose by a single goal makes a Napoli victory on the night a very solid bet.
Eintracht Frankfurt v Benfica
Despite an early sending-off at Estádio da Luz, Eintracht Frankfurt did incredibly well to emerge from their first-leg against Benfica with a 4-2 defeat; a two-goal deficit, with two away goals, keeps them very much in the tie.
Though they lost their last league match at home to struggling Augsburg—courtesy of another red card—Eintracht still look a force on home soil (winning four of their last five prior), and they absolutely have the requisite firepower to do the job against Benfica.
Similar to the Arsenal match, a one-goal defeat would see Benfica through, so I’m confident in backing an Eintracht Frankfurt win on the night.
Chelsea v Slavia Prague
Slavia Prague have proven themselves to be a tough nut to crack, but I’m backing them to be outclassed at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea march to the last four.
Nine of Chelsea’s 11 home wins in the Premier League this season have been by two goals or more, and that’s primarily down to their excellent defence.
Chelsea come into this with a one-goal advantage, but I’m still backing them to beat Slavia with a -1 handicap.
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