Europa League Betting: Fulham v CSKA Sofia

Europa League / Jaymes Monte / 02 December 2009 / Leave a comment

Johnson's latest injury troubles have left Fulham extremely light in the striker department.

Jaymes Monte takes a look a game which could provide some useful indications to how Fulham are coping with the strains of European football...

"Their lack of prowess in front of goal coupled with Fulham’s lack of striking options leads me to suggest that ‘Under 2.5 goals’ which is available at 2.1 is a stand out back."

The main concern surrounding Fulham at the beginning of this season was whether their small squad would be able to cope with a European campaign running concurrently with a Premier League campaign.

Tenth in the Premier League and third in their Europa League group - with qualification still in their own hands - and the answer to those concerns remain firmly in the balance. This week's home tie against CSKA Sofia will go a long way to assessing where they stand. Defeat would see them all but eliminated from the tournament whilst a victory would mean they will go to Basel in two weeks possibly only needing a draw to ensure progression.

Fulham have been left a little light in the striker department this season, and news that Andy Johnson must undergo an operation has caused great concern for Roy Hodgson. If they are still in the Europa League he must surely be forced to delve into the transfer market in January. Diomansy Kamara also remains sidelined but Bobby Zamora and Danny Murphy could both return.

The reverse of this fixture finished 1-1 with two goals in quick succession halfway through the second half, a game which CSKA Sofia dominated statistically but did not outclass Fulham. However, that game produced the only point that the Bulgarian side have picked up in Group E and contributed to half their goal scoring tally.

Their lack of prowess in front of goal coupled with Fulham's lack of striking options leads me to suggest that 'Under 2.5 goals' which is available at [2.1] is a stand out back. I'd also be tempted by the [1.85] on Fulham to keep a clean sheet. And if you are looking for a trading opportunity both 0-0 at [15.0] and 1-0 at [7.6] could prove to be good starting points.

Given CSKA Sofia have nothing to play for, the match odds market is understandably weighted in favour of The Cottagers but at [1.35] I'll be staying well clear of backing them.

One other area of note is that Fulham have now played eight midweek games throughout this season and have failed to win the following weekend on each occasion. They can be layed at [2.24] to beat Sunderland this Sunday.

Tags: Andy Johnson, CSKA Sofia, Europa League betting, football betting, Fulham