Plenty of British interest in tonight’s Europa League play-offs, but the value bets are to be had by taking on our boys.
One of the best bets is for FC Thun to beat Stoke at the Arena Thun in Switzerland, for which they are a top priced 2/1.
This match is on an artifical surface, and with Stoke manager Tony Pullis having expressed major concerns over the pitch the home side look overpriced.
Pullis has said that Thun will have a “big advantage”, and given that they are also playing extremely well they have to be worth a punt at “bottle”.
Thun have already beaten Vllazinia and Palermo to reach this stage and sit at the top of the Swiss Super League after seven matches.
In their most recent game at home on Saturday they tonked Lausanne Sports 5-2, and are clearly right at the top of their game.
They seem to have been underestimated by the bookies, and that needs taking advantage of from a punting persepective.
Up in Scotland, Hearts take on Tottenham and Harry Redknapp’s boys are liekly to find it more difficult to get a victory than their odds of 4/6 would seem to suggest.
Spurs have not played a competitive game so far this season, and with a Monday night trip to Old Trafford coming up Redknapp looks sure to field an under-strength side.
That could be risky against a Hearts team that are beginning to hit top gear and have won their last two games at home 4-1 and 3-0.
Therefore at 3/1 with Hills the draw looks worth an interest.
The other game that really catches the eye as a betting medium is Nacional Madeira against Birmingham. .
Birmingham have a terrible record on their travels and that is unlikely to improve against a decent Portuguese side who finished sixth in their league last season and cruised through two qualifying rounds of this competition with 2-0 and 3-0 victories.
They look a solid bet at 5/6 to beat the Blues who won just twice away from home in the Premiership last season and have already lost away at Derby in the Championsip this time round.
Tonight’s best bets:
4pts Thun to beat Stoke (2/1 Boylesports, Befred, Paddy Power, totesport)
2pts Hearts to draw with Spurs (3/1 Hills)
6pts Nacional Maedira to beat Brimingham (5/6 generally available)