Top 5 Europa League qualifying round predictions

July 5, 2012
By: Frank Beresford

European Championship in Poland and Ukraine may have just ended, but that doesn’t mean football fans will have to wait too long for a new dose of excitement. Europa League First Qualifying Round has kicked off on Tuesday, but with the majority of matches set to be played on Thursday, we present you top Europa League betting tips for this round.

17:00 Khazar Lankaran (Aze) v Nomme Kalju (Est)
Tip: Home win
Odds: 1.55 (11/20) at 188BET

Khazar Lankaran are currently one of the best Azeri clubs and they finished last two league campaigns in second place. The squad mostly consist of players who were starters at top Romanian clubs in previous seasons and most of them have plenty of European experience. Their opponents are Estonian league leaders Nomme Kalju, who almost entirely consist of footballers that have never played anywhere outside Estonia. This makes home win a logical choice here.

17:30 Jagodina (Ser) v Ordabasy (Kaz)
Tip: Under 2.5 goals
Odds: 2.20 (6/5) at Stan James

The side that finished last league campaign in 4th place are expected to take control of the match, but adverse weather conditions and lack of match practice are likely to prevent Jagodina from creating too many clear-cut chances. The Serbian team stayed without Marjanovic and Krstic, the main creative outlets, this summer and with just 4 goals scored in their last 5 Super League games, under 2.5 looks a good option here, especially as Kazakhstan outfit Ordabasy are expected to adopt a defensive approach.

18:00 Baki (Aze) v Mura (Slo)
Tip: Baki with -1.5 Asian handicap
Odds: 1.95 (19/20) at bet365

Baki are one of the richest clubs in Azeri football and their big budget allowed them to attract the likes of Kargbo, Cesnauskis, Kovacevic, Verpakovskis, Parks and Koke, all of whom have experience of playing in top European leagues. After beating Mura 4-0 in a friendly played in Slovenia two weeks ago, the hosts should have no problems recording another resounding victory, with Mura’s job made even harder by the long journey and the fact they only arrived in Azerbaijan on the night before the game.

18:00 Pyunik (Arm) v Zeta (Mon)
Tip: Home win
Odds: 2.30 (13/10) at bet365

Pyunik are one of the biggest clubs in Armenia and while they have experienced some problems this season, the team appear to have hit the ground running at the right time. With their season in full swing and Zeta only recently starting pre-season training, home win looks on the cards. On top of that, the visitors arrive to Yerevan without four key players from last season.

20:30 Cefn Druids (Wal) v MyPa (Fin)
Tip: MyPa with -1 European handicap
Odds: 1.77 (7/9) at Bodog

Cefn Druids ply their trade in the second tier of Welsh league system and they qualified for Europa League by making it to the Cup final. However, having finished league campaign in sixth place and with a month and a half still to go before the start of the new league campaign, they have nothing to hope for when facing one of the best Finnish sides. After recording a 4-0 victory over title hopefuls Inter and playing out a 1-1 draw with Helsinki, MyPa are expected to triumph in Wales, even if they are without three African players.

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