Europa League Tips: Swiss to roll over again

Stay on the Gakpo train

PSV v Zurich
Thursday 13 October, 20:00
Live on BT Sport

Last week we tipped PSV skipper Cody Gakpo to either score or assist against Zurich, and he obliged with a superb strike in a 5-1 win. Given that the Swiss champions are in a complete and utter tailspin, I see no reason why we shouldn't back 23-year-old superstar Gakpo to find the net again.

Gakpo was heavily linked with Manchester United and Leeds United in the summer, but for various reasons the move failed to materialise. United went for Ajax star Antony instead, and Dutch international Gakpo is believed to have been lukewarm regarding a move to Elland Road.

In the Eredivisie and Europa League Gakpo continues to excel - he scored the winner in the weekend's 1-0 success at Heerenveen, and overall he has scored nine goals in nine league appearances.

Zurich are a total mess. They were champions against all the odds last term, but coach Andre Breitenreiter defected to German side Hoffenheim, top scorer Assan Ceesay went to Lecce, and Italian international pocket rocket Wilfried Gnonto ended up being Leeds United's Gakpo alternative.

Zurich are rock-bottom of the Swiss Super League, with four points from ten games. They have lost to Arsenal, Bodo Glimt and PSV in the UEL, and in the league they are conceding an average of two goals per game.

Gakpo is 2.26/5 to score on the Sportsbook, and closer to kick-off you might even be able to get a better price on the Exchange.

Union to edge vital win

Union Berlin v Malmo
Thursday 13 October, 20:00
Live on BT Sport

Union Berlin's somewhat fortunate win at Stuttgart on Sunday put them two points clear at the top of the Bundesliga table, and after a dramatic draw in Der Klassiker, the capital club are now four points ahead of both Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund in the title race.

It seems absurd to be mentioning Union in relation to a title race, but the position they are currently in deserves total respect. Ever since their incredible coach Urs Fischer dragged them into the Bundesliga for the first time, Union have improved season upon season.

While no-one genuinely thinks they will last the pace and win the meisterschale, Champions League qualification is certainly not out of the equation.

In the Europa League, Union started with 1-0 defeats to Union Saint-Gilloise and Braga, but an heroic 1-0 win at Malmo has kept their hopes alive. Union had been reduced to ten men on the stroke of half time thanks to a red card for Hungarian midfielder Andras Schaefer, but Union found a way to overcome their Swedish opponents.

Union's games in this competition have been tense and tight, and you can back them to win and Under 3.5 Goals here at 2.01/1 on the Sportsbook. Malmo are struggling in the Allsvenskan (they are a lowly sixth, which is a disaster by their lofty standards), and they haven't scored in any of their last three games. Nine of their last 12 games have stayed under the 3.5 goals line.

The Brais is right

Real Sociedad v Sheriff
Thursday 13 October, 20:00
Live on BT Sport

Real Sociedad coach and indeed fan Imanol Alguacil has sparked something of a golden era in San Sebastian. La Real beat old Basque foes Athletic Club to win their first Copa del Rey since the late 1980s, and under Imanol they have regularly qualified for Europe. There was another milestone on Matchday One of this season's group stage, as Los Txuri-Urdin won against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Real Sociedad lost star striker Alexander Isak to Newcastle in the summer, and they have lost several excellent performers to injury, including Isak's replacement Umar Sadiq. Spain winger Mikel Oyarzabal has been on the sidelines for months, and he's been joined in the treatment room by Momo Cho and Robin Le Normand.

La Real needed a hero, and summer signings Brais Mendez has stepped into the breach. The former Celta Vigo attacker scored the only goal in a 1-0 win over Villarreal at the weekend, his fifth in La Liga already this term. He has also scored and assisted in the UEL this term, setting up a goal in last weekend's 2-0 win at Sheriff.

Moldovan side Sheriff have lost key players since stunning Real Madrid in the Champions League last season, and although they kicked off the group stage with a 3-0 win at Omonia, they have since lost to Manchester United and Real Sociedad.

Brais Mendez is a chunky 2.89/5 to score at any time here, and I think that's great value for a player in the form he's in.

Dynamo to play out another thriller

Dynamo Kyiv v Rennes
Thursday 13 October, 17:45
Live on BT Sport

It's extraordinary that Dynamo Kyiv are playing football at all, and given that their weekend win over Rukh Vynnyky in Ukraine featured a lengthy delay because of an air raid siren, you can see the kind of strain these players are under. It's perhaps no surprise that Dynamo have fallen short in the group stage of the UEL so far, losing all three of their games to this point.

Rennes are on great form, and have put together a nine-match unbeaten run. They swept aside local rivals Nantes at the weekend by three goals to nil, as 17-year-old rising star Désiré Doué found the net. Doué also got a late winner against Dynamo last week.

Rennes are a tempting bet in the Match Odds market at 1.855/6, but instead I'll back BTTS at 1.845/6. Rennes have scored in their last 12 games, but they have only managed two clean sheets in that time. Away from home, BTTS has landed in Rennes' last six matches.