The Europa Conference League might classed as the poor relation when it comes to European competition but it should serve up a cracker at a packed Celtic Park tonight.
One thing it won’t be in the eest end of Glasgow is dull. Visitors Bodø/Glimt pride themselves on an attacking brand of football under Kjetil Knutsen and that’s helped deliver back-to-back Eliteserien titles. Knutsen’s side made all of Europe sit up and take notice with arguably the biggest result in European football for many a year when they thumped Jose Mourinho’s Roma 6-1 back in October.
But the squad has been picked apart since then with several key players moving to more lucrative leagues and Knutsen himself being the subject of speculation whenever managerial vacancies arise. Replacements have arrived but with the new Norwegian season still over a month away the visitors could be a little undercooked.
A key feature of Celtic under Ange Posteocglou is how quickly they start games, even in Europe. Significantly, they score more goals in the first half than the second so we could see an early flurry and two goals inside the first 45 mins is appealing at 6/4. It’s a bet that landed in four of Celtic’s six Europa League group stage matches.
And it would be remiss not to mention Celtic corners. Regular readers will know about their stats and the Hoops can expect to rack up some decent numbers again tonight. Over 3 first half Celtic corners looks a steal at 6/5.
Rivals Rangers face a tough trip to Germany in the Europa League for a glamour tie against Borussia Dortmund. The good news for the Gers is that goal-machine Erling Haaland looks almost certain to miss out, the bad news is they’ll still need to keep Reus, Brandt, Bellingham and Hazard quiet.
Giovanni Van Bronckhurst’s side have responded well to their recent 3-0 defeat to Celtic, winning all three matches since to nil but it must be a worry that they’ve yet to win away from home in the league so far this calendar year.
That said, in the last two seasons they’ve performed well on the road in Europe and will be determined to come away from Dortmund still in the tie. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Rangers frustrate Marco Rose’s side for periods of the game but the Germans should prevail. It could pay to go against the grain a little here and back Dortmund and Under 2.5 Goals at 10/3.
Elsewhere, Sheriff Tiraspol shouldn’t be sniffed at at 3/1 to beat Braga. The Moldovans won seven points in their Champions League group including a stunning 2-1 win over Real Madrid. Braga are off the pace in Portugal and have lost to Red Star Belgrade and Midtjylland already this season.
Barcelona could be vulnerable at home to Napoli who are going well in Serie A. Barca scored just two goals in six Champions League group matches but did manage to finish third behind Bayern and Benfica. They’ve steadied the ship a little since then but will face an in-form Napoli who are just two points off the top of the table in Italy. 14/5 on the away win could be worth getting involved with.
Super Singles
- Over 3 first half Celtic corners 6/5 Bet365
- Over 1 first half goals & Over 3 first half Celtic corners 5/1 Bet365
Upcoming Match Previews & Tips
- Thursday’s Goals Accumulator Tips: Today’s 11/2 Both Teams to Score, Over 2.5 Goals & Total Team Goals Acca
- Thu 17:45 Borussia Dortmund v Rangers
- Thu 17:45 Barcelona v Napoli
- Thu 20:00 Leicester City v Randers FC
- Thu 20:00 Celtic v Bodo/Glimt
- Thu 17:45 Zenit St Petersburg v Real Betis
- Thu 20:00 FC Porto v Lazio
- Thu 20:00 RB Leipzig v Real Sociedad
- Thu 20:00 Sevilla v Dinamo Zagreb
- Thu 20:00 Marseille v FK Qarabag
- Fri 19:45 Dunfermline Athletic v Partick Thistle
Golf Tips
After landing a 25/1 winner in the shape of Scottie Scheffler last week The Caddy is aiming to make it two profitable weeks in a row with selections for Tiger Wood’s Genesis Invitational in California.
Today’s Racing Tips
Rizzel has picked his two best bets for Thursday, coming from Leicester and Sandown.
As always, let us know your tips and predictions for today in the comments section below and good luck with all your bets!
The post Thursday’s Football Tips: Celtic Park Set for Conference Cracker appeared first on MrFixitsTips.