Midweek Tips: The Europa League final picks

The Europa League final goes down on Wednesday night, with Rangers taking on Frankfurt. Elsewhere, Liverpool face Southampton on Tuesday and Aston Villa play Burnley Thursday in Premier League action.

The Nap

Two down; two to go? Liverpool won the FA Cup on Saturday and the Premier League title race now looks like going to the wire after Manchester City’s extraordinary 2-2 draw with West Ham on Sunday. City's grip on their Premier League title looked like it was slipping at half-time in London, as the Hammers led 2-0 thanks to Jarrod Bowen's well-taken brace. However, Pep Guardiola’s men showed tremendous character to battle back for a share of the spoils and it all means victory over Aston Villa on the final day will see them crowned champions.

A lot can still happen between now and then however and on Tuesday, Liverpool will look to keep the pressure on at the top by beating Southampton.

The Saints won this fixture 1-0 last season but the good news for Reds fans is that Liverpool have actually won eight of their last nine league matches against Southampton.

Ralph Hasenhuttl's side are not without hope but they’ve lost their last two and were all kinds of awful against Brentford last time out. Indeed they have only taken one point from the last 12 available and so it is no surprise to see Liverpool chalked up as 1/2 favourites for the win.

Jurgen Klopp’s side have an indomitable will to win and the players are willing to walk through brick walls for the German, a boss brimming with passion, empathy and emotional intelligence. He will have to do without Mo Salah, who limped out of Saturday’s Wembley showpiece with a groin problem.

However, Liverpool have a boatload of options in attack and even without Salah and midfield enforcer Fabinho, are likely to be too strong for Southampton, who have nothing much to play for at this stage of the season. With this in mind quotes of evens about Liverpool winning this by more than a goal look decent.

The Nap – Liverpool (-1) to beat Southampton at evens (Betfair/Coral/Paddy Power/Skybet)

 

Value Tip

German side Eintracht Frankfurt meet Rangers in the UEFA Europa League final at Seville's Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium on Wednesday, and it could be a cracker. Oliver Glasner's team have been brilliant this season, well drilled and showing a rare mix of skill and physicality. They won in Barcelona to knock out the Catalan giants a couple of rounds ago, and not many teams have done that in the Camp Nou down the years. They like to play on the counter, and have a real danger man down the left in Filip Kostic.

Yet while Rangers are the betting outsiders, Giovanni van Bronckhorst's side will be determined to take this opportunity have conceded the SPL title to bitter rivals Celtic only last week.

John Lundstram has been terrific in the middle of the park for Rangers, who were betting outsiders to progress against Braga and Leipzig, but nevertheless find themselves in their first major European final since the 2007/08 UEFA Cup final.

Frankfurt are slight betting favourites, but the stars could be aligning for Rangers in Seville, who look value to win a game where both teams find the net.

Value Tip - Rangers to win & both teams to score at 5/1 (bet365/Hills)

 

First Goal Flutter

Huge game down at the bottom on Wednesday night as Burnley travel to Aston Villa.

Leeds boss Jesse Marsch reckons his side's late equaliser against Brighton on Sunday “shifts the pressure” on to Burnley, who will now be relegated if they lose their last two games.

We already know it would be a disaster if the Clarets went down, due to the way they’ve leveraged their finances against the TV money.

The omens are not good either after Villa beat Burnley 3-1 at Turf Moor just a few weeks ago. Danny Ings opened the scoring in that one, scoring for a fourth consecutive match against his former club.

Villa are 11/10 favourites in the 1x2 market but Burnley will be scrapping for their lives on the night. They will be focused and physical and it could take the brilliance of someone like Philippe Coutinho to unlock the door.

Since joining the club in January Coutinho has scored four times and seems happy with life in England. The Brazilian is 6/1 to score first on Wednesday and that looks a big price given his recent form and enduring quality.

First Goal Flutter – Coutinho to score first at 6/1 (Unibet)

 

The Euro Banker

Alfredo Morelos and Goncalo Paciencia are both 13/2 joint favourites to score first in Sevilla, in a game that should feature goals.

However Portuguese striker Paciencia only has five goals to his name this season (two in the Europa League), while Colombian striker Morelos was ruled out for the remainder of the season in April after undergoing surgery on a thigh injury, but is now suddenly a potential starter.

Away from the top of the market, James Tavernier’s price of 11/1 to score first looks interesting. The defender loves playing in Rangers’ 4-2-3-1 line-up in Europe, and has been their star man in the competition after bagging seven goals. Interestingly, all his goals have come in the knockout phase, including two against Braga in the quarters and the crucial opener against Leipzig in the semi-final second leg.

Tavernier came through the Newcastle United academy but has established himself as a fan favourite at Ibrox, and 11/1 looks too big.

The Euro Banker – Tavernier to score first at 11/1 (Betway)