SportsTips’ Europa League Predictions for the Quarter Finals (Leg 1)

SportsTips’ Europa League Predictions for the Quarter Finals (Leg 1)
Thu 8th April 2021

Granada vs Manchester United 

Thursday, April 8th, 3.00 PM EDT

Granada welcome the Red Devils to Spain for the first leg of their Europa League clash, the small Spanish club have enjoyed an impressive underdog run to get to this point which will undoubtedly be their biggest test of the tournament. 

They fought their way through the Round of 16 against a solid Molde outfit, winning 3-2 on aggregate over the 2 legs. The bookies didn’t like their chances to get here, but thanks to 2 goals across the 2 legs from former Tottenham Hotspur flop, Roberto Soldado, Granada progressed. 

Since the last time we saw them in the Europa League, Granada have struggled in their domestic La Liga, losing both games they have played, 5-1 on aggregate. It is a less than ideal position to be in heading into a game of this calibre, against a team who has performed so strong away from home this season.

Manchester are coming into this one off the back off a 2-1 win over Brighton in the Premier League. Whilst it was far from their best performance, it was enough to get the 3 points and maintain their unbeaten domestic run.

The Red Devils came into the tournament late, they are unbeaten from 4 games played, and have scored 6 goals while conceding just 1 goal to AC Milan. 5 of the 6 goals they have scored in the competition have been done so away from home, a statistic that doesn’t bode well for Granada.

Granada have done very well to get to this point in the tournament, but after some shaky performances in the La Liga recently, and going up against a team notoriously good away from home, you can’t much like their chances here. 

Europa League Prediction: Manchester United (-180)
Best Prop: Anytime Goalscorer: Edinson Cavani (+135)

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Ajax vs Roma

Thursday, April 8th, 3.00 PM EDT

In the most exciting clash of the Quarter Finals, Ajax play host to Roma in just the 3rd meeting between these two great teams. 

Ajax, who have proven themselves to be elite at a deep tournament run in recent years, will be out to show they have got what it takes to go all the way. That is not likely to come easy against Roma, whose failures in the Serie A this season have not been replicated in the Europa League.

The Dutch giants came into the tournament late after bombing out of the Champions League, but since then they have impressed, defeating the potential champions of France, Lille, followed by a dismantling of the Young Boys, 5-0 on aggregate. 

Dusan Tadic has been instrumental to their performances in Europe this season, scoring 5 goals and 4 assists in just 10 games.

Roma have enjoyed a similar story in their road to the Quarter Finals, with 8 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss, they have cruised up until this point, and scored 23 goals while conceding just 7 across those 10 games.

It would be wrong to say that Roma have had a particularly tough run of it to get here, and their domestic performance tells a different story. With a record of 15-6-8, Roma sit in 7th place in the Serie A, and have frequently struggled when playing away from home, winning just 2 of their last 8 games on the road. 

This matchup is incredibly exciting on paper, both sides are highly offensive and have impressed in the competition so far. Ajax are a titan when playing at home, while Roma have been weak away, couple this with their injury woes in defense and Ajax definitely have the edge, we like Ajax here with goals on either side. 

Europa League Prediction: Ajax (-105)
Best Prop: Over 2.5 Goals (-154)

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*Odds correct at time of publication, thanks to FanDuel.

Connor is a passionate writer and sporting fanatic, with a focus on all things soccer, NBA, and NHL. Happy to chew your ear off about his beloved Tottenham Hotspur, or talk odds on the latest ball game. Connor always delivers the latest in breaking news, matchday analysis and predictions.