Celta Vigo vs Lille

Celta Vigo vs Lille

Leg 1: Over 4.5 Cards

Separated by just goals scored, Celta Vigo and Lille both have ambitions of finishing in the top eight of the league and know both games are must wins. While a draw MAY be enough to secure a top 24 finish, teams such as Dinamo Zagreb, Basel, and FCSB are hot on their tails, so neither side will want to leave anything to chance.

So far in their Europa League campaign, Vigo have averaged 2 cards a game, while drawing 2 cards a game, in line with their league statistics were average 2.1 cards and draw a league high 3.25.

Lille have also been prone to cards in this competition, being shown 2.5 per game and forcing 2.1 from their opponents. In Ligue 1, Bruno Genesio's side get 2.66 cards while drawing 2.33.

Overseeing this crucial encounter is German referee Harm Osmers, who is averaging 4.6 cards per game. In the Europa League, he has shown at least five cards in all four matches he has refereed. With both teams’ matches seeing a high number of cards, coupled with what is at stake, we should see cards galore in Spain.

Dinamo Zagreb vs FCSB

Dinamo Zagreb vs FCSB

Leg 2: Over 4.5 cards

Another game with card potential is the crunch clash between Dinamo Zagreb and FCSB. Both sides sit outside the top 24, both needing a win to keep their qualification hopes alive. Zagreb are behind Celtic on goal difference, while FCSB are just one point off.

Zagreb games have only averaged 3.2 cards, but the Croatian side have been on the end of some heavy scorelines, losing 4-0 to Lille and 0-3 to Celta Vigo. In a game of grave importance, we should see them closer to their league average (2.44 for and 3.33 against).

FCSB games have seen bigger card counts than their Croatian counterparts, with three cautions per game, with their opponents being shown 2.5. In the league, the Romanian side gets 2.3 cards and draws 2.56.

Referee Sander Van Eijk average is low domestically, due to the Eredivisie not being renowned for cards, but in the Europa League he has shown 12 yellows and four reds in just three games.

Roma vs Stuttgart

Roma vs Stuttgart

Leg 3: Over 2.5 Goals

Roma and Stuttgart have near identical records in the Europa League and will look to scrape a top eight finish.

The Italians have won three games in a row after a poor start, putting them back in qualification contention. Gian Piero Gasperini’s side have won three straight league games so come into this game full of confidence. Despite the 67-year-olds attacking philosophy, only 5/21 games have seen o2.5 goals. However, 4/6 games in Europe have seen at least three goals, so an upturn from their league form is expected.

Away from home, Stuttgart games are averaging just shy of four goals a game, with all nine away games seeing over 2.5 goals. While only 50% of their Europa League games have seen over 2.5 goals, the last two have combined for nine goals. With both teams looking to win to secure qualification into the next round and the potential to rotate next week, expect a high-scoring end to end encounter.

Salzburg vs Basel

Salzburg vs Basel

Leg 4: Under 3.5 Goals

Salzburg have had a dismal Europa League campaign, losing five of the six games in the competition. The Red Bulls cannot qualify directly for the last sixteen and can only finish between 17th and 24th. Due to the Austrian leagues winter break, Salzburg have not had a competitive fixture since the 14th of December, so they may take a while to dust off the rustiness. Of their 17 league games, under 3.5 goals has landed in 10/17, as well as 4/6 in Europe.

Basel are also out the top eight race but have three more points than Salzburg, so stand more chance of a top 24 finish, so a third straight loss will deal a blow to their playoff chances. Ludovic Magnin’s side resumed their Swiss league campaign with a 1-1 draw over Sion, losing further ground in the title race. Of their 20 league games, 16 have seen under 3.5 goals as well as all bar one Europa League game.

The best odds for the above Four-fold Acca is 10/1 at Skybet which is much more than other bookies like BetMGM UK (8/1) and Coral (7/1).