The qualifying stages for the Champions League and Europa League are now fully in motion, with plenty of recognisable – if not exactly top quality – sides starting to enter the competition. That’s left many teams with an early start, including Rangers and St Johnstone, who have already kicked off and finished their European campaigns for this season. Can the other British and Irish sides have better luck as the second qualifying round rolls around this week? Or will we see a few more early exits?
With so many sides vying for a place in the group stages, there’s tons of football to keep an eye on across the week. This week’s European action runs from Tuesday through to Friday, and there’s more than enough going on to keep us entertained. We think these games are perfect for a both teams to score accumulator, with sides just coming back off the beach to play in European ties. Ahead of the midweek action, we’ve picked out our BTTS tips for your consideration.
Tuesday 11th July 2017
- Rijeka v TNS (11/8 with Betfred) – The Welsh side needed a second leg comeback away from home to make it this far, but they should be buoyed by the three goals they scored at Europa. We expect TNS to build on that, so we’re backing both teams to score here at attractive odds.
- Hibernians v Salzburg (23/20 with BetVictor) – Hibernians made it through the first qualifying round with a 3-0 win over Tallinn, scoring home and away. We think they have enough firepower to trouble the favourites Salzburg in the home leg.
Wednesday 12th July 2017
- Dundalk v Rosenborg (19/20 with Betfair) – Rosenborg’s league form has seen them concede plenty of goals, and now they’re up against a Dundalk side who were brilliant in Europe last season. We think this will be an open game, so we’re backing BTTS at just under evens.
Thursday 13th July 2017
- Cork v AEK Larnaca (10/11 with Betfred) – Cork are tearing up the Irish league with their attacking style, and that got them through the first round. We expect them to go out and attack Larnaca, so we see this being end to end, with both teams scoring.
- Aberdeen v Siroki Brijeg (11/10 with Sky Bet) – The last week has shown that Scottish sides aren’t up to European competition, and we think Aberdeen will display that fragility once again. We’re backing the Dons to concede to their Bosnian opposition, continuing Scottish football’s troubles.
- Shamrock Rovers v Mlada Boleslav (evens with Ladbrokes) – Shamrock Rovers claimed a 2-0 aggregate win over Stjarnan, but keeping a clean sheet here will be much more difficult. We see Mlada grabbing a goal in Dublin.
- Ferencvaros v Midtjylland (4/6 with Coral) – Ferencvaros were once one of the top sides in Europe, which drew our eye to this game. They’re facing a Midtjylland side who thumped Derry City, conceding in both legs. We think that poor defence will concede again, but the Danes have enough going forward to grab a goal.