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Europa League Betting Preview: Villareal v Lazio
Europa League
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Richard Aikman /
04 November 2009 /
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"The home side are on an upward curve and are great value to claim victory."
The Yellow Submarine have been getting their act together of late while Lazio have been out of sorts, says Richard Walker.
Improving Villarreal can exact revenge on inconsistent Lazio when the two sides meet again this week even if the Yellow Submarine were sunk by the 10-man Biancoceleste in Rome recently. Tommaso Rocchi came off the bench to score Lazio's winner in added time after Sebastian Eguren had cancelled out Mauro Zarate's opening strike, which had come against the run of play.
This season Villarreal have sorely missed coach Manuel Pellegrini, who departed for Real Madrid in the summer, but their personnel remains unaltered from the squad that finished fifth in La Liga last term and, as Robert Pires attested this week: "We haven't changed anything. We have the same players and the same training programme, but when you are on a bad run, it's difficult to escape. I think we have the quality to get out of this situation."
That quality is beginning to emerge under new coach Ernesto Valverde, who guided unfancied Espanyol to the final of this competition three seasons ago and since that unfortunate defeat to Lazio, which left La Liga side third in their group, they have beaten Malaga 2-1 and crushed Tenerife 5-0 at El Madrigal.
By contrast Lazio are on a miserable domestic run, winning just twice in Serie A this season all of 10 matches ago. That victory over Villarreal appears all the more anomalous given that the capital club have since lost to struggling Bari and Cagliari. Sunday's 1-1 draw with struggling Siena will have hardly lifted spirits.
The home side are on an upward curve, have only lost at home to Real Madrid this season in all competitions and, having scored as many goals (seven) in two league matches as it has taken Lazio to score in 10, are great value to claim victory.
Recommended Bet: Back Villarreal to win @ [1.88]
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