UEFA Europa League Matchday 2 2024-25 | The group stage of the UEFA Europa League continues on Thursday, with all 36 teams set to face off for another rundown games.
Just like with the Champions League this season, the Europa League group format is made up of all the teams in a league setup. Each team has eight match days, four at home and four away.
There were some takeaways from Matchday 1, including questions about Tottenham’s defense in their match against Qarabag. Yes, Spurs won 3-0 and had to play with 10 men for most of the day.
However, they permitted 14 shots on target including a penalty, forcing their goalkeeper to stand on his head. Things don’t get easier for the Spurs going forward, particularly if they want to make a deep run into the bracket.
Ajax, by contrast, looked solid in their 4-0 shellacking of Besiktas. Ajax, have been a Dutch powerhouse in the past but have struggled in the last few years.
They do have key away fixtures against teams with less talent, so they look to keep stacking up points and solidify a slot in the top eight in the group table.
Let’s look at the schedule as well as sports betting predictions about some of the top matches.
UEFA Europa League Matchday 2 Betting Preview with Odds & Expert Analysis
Porto +137 vs Manchester United +184
When: Thursday, October 3, 3:00 PM ET
Europa League Pick for Draw +238
This will be the ninth time these sides have met; Porto have won just two of the first eight, with three losses and three draws. In Matchday 1, they got a goal from Samu in just the seventh minute, playing at Bodo/Glimt, the champions of Norway’s first division. However, the hosts stormed back and won, 3-2. Next up come Manchester United, who also had a disappointing Matchday 1. Like Porto, they jumped out to a 1-0 lead but let Twente draw one back to finish as a 1-1 draw. Interestingly, Man U’s largest continental loss ever came in Portugal, back in the 1963-64 Cup Winners’ Cup, when they lost to Sporting CP, 5-0. In the same tournament, but in 1977, they lost 4-0 – at Porto.
UEL Bookies Pick: Manchester United to win.
^Our 23-man squad in Porto 🫡#MUFC || #UEL pic.twitter.com/LxJHSsGrzP
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) October 3, 2024
Athletic Club -178 vs AZ Alkmaar +450
When: Thursday, October 3, 3:00 PM ET
Europa League Pick for Draw +300
San Mames will host four group play matches in this run of the Europa League and at least one more as the final is set here for May 21. Matchday 1 saw Athletic come away from AS Roma with a point out of a 1-1 draw. Now they return home to try to get three points from the Dutch side AZ Alkmaar. They picked up a win in Matchday 1, getting the winner from striker Troy Parrott against Elfsborg.
UEL Bookies Pick: Athletic Club to win.
^Ferencvaros +430 vs Tottenham Hotspur -185
When: Thursday, October 3, 12:45 PM ET
Europa League Pick for Draw +330
If you think about it, playing more than 80 minutes down a man and still winning 3-0 is pretty impressive, and that’s what should motivate Spurs as they head to Budapest for Matchday 2. Ferencvaros traveled to Anderlecht and ended up on the wrong side of a 2-1 score, thanks in large part to defensive miscues. They’ll need to elevate their game if they want to stay close to Spurs, who appear in Hungary in a competitive fixture for the first time in club history.
UEL Bookies Pick: Spurs to win.
^Europa League Matchday 2, Thursday, October 3
- RFS +740 vs Galatasaray -319 (12:45 pm ET)
- Maccabi Tel-Aviv +212 vs Midtjylland +113 (12:45 pm ET)
- Olympiacos +113 vs Braga +220 (12:45 pm ET)
- Qarabag -103 vs Malmo +248 (12:45 pm ET)
- Lazio -104 vs Nice +280 (12:45 pm ET)
- Slavia Praha -128 vs Ajax +320 (12:45 pm ET)
- Hoffenheim +111 vs Dynamo Kyiv +208 (12:45 pm ET)
- Besiktas +172 vs Eintracht Frankfurt +137 (3:00 pm ET)
- Twente +189 vs Fenerbahce +130 (3:00 pm ET)
- Viktoria Plzen -129 vs Ludogrets +340 (3:00 pm ET)
- Elfsborg +340 vs AS Roma -134 (3:00 pm ET)
- PAOK -165 vs FCSB +410 (3:00 pm ET)
- Union SG -108 vs Bodo/Glimt +260 (3:00 pm ET)
- Rangers +147 vs Lyon +162 (3:00 pm ET)
What a start to life in Istanbul 💛❤️#UEL pic.twitter.com/Dy2dKGNBEx
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) October 2, 2024
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