Europa League Double

The Europa League group stages begin with all the British sides set for pretty tough encounters. Tottenham would perhaps have the easiest task on paper, but their trip to PAOK Salonika is compromised by the fielding of a reserve team. Fulham are favourites to beat Twente but the Dutch side are on the better form. The draw looks likely in both games and the double can be packed at a best price of 10/1 with Betfred.

Harry Redknapp has taken some stick for leaving almost his entire first team at home, but this doesn’t mean he’s thrown in the towel completely. With the likes of Sebastien Bassong, Vedran Corluka and Roman Pavlyuchenko still in his ranks, Tottenham will still have many of the best players on the pitch, and plenty of European experience to boot.

But the Greek hosts will create a fiery atmosphere and there desire to get a result will surely be greater when it’s all said and done. Salonika have won their last eight games at Toumba Stadium and this is a big night in the club’s history. If Spurs don’t score at key moments, they could find themselves clinging onto a point that they would surely settle for at kick-off.

It’s hard not to back a Fulham win based on the statistics. The Cottagers are unbeaten in 20 European games by the Thames and won 16 of that number. They face a Dutch side who have never beaten English opponents and are four games without victory on their European travels. But yet the case for a draw can still strongly be made. Martin Jol’s side seem to be really struggling to cope with early season fixture congestion having collected just two points from four league games up till now.

The main reason why they aren’t winning is a chronic lack of goals. Just two successful strikes in four Premiership encounters is a major cause for concern and the man who did find the net on Sunday, Bobby Zamora, is likely to be rested on Thursday. The manager bought Bryan Ruiz to help solve these problems but the former Twente striker is cup-tied for the clash against his former team-mates.

In contrast the visitors are having no such problems domestically. One point off the top of the table after five games, Twente have scored 13 times already in their league. Yes, it’s less competitive but a side who qualified for the Champions League last year, with no significant injury concerns, should start to improve those recent European statistics pretty soon.

The best odds are 12/5 for the draw on the night in that one, but we think it’s worth backing Spurs to share the spoils as well for a lucrative double at best odds of 10/1 with Betfred.