After watching their rivals Hibs being put to the sword by Aston Villa last night, Hearts will be keen to make their mark against European opposition at Tynecastle tonight.
PAOK Salonika are the visitors and it’s the Greeks who are hot favourites at 3/10 to book their place in the group stages of the Europa Conference League.
That feels a little bit disrespectful to the Jambos who will be desperate to take a first leg lead to Greece next week.
PAOK finished fourth in the Greek Super League last season, 16 points behind champions AEK and have bettered Beitar Jerusalem and Hadjuk Split to reach this play-off stage. Their most notable European performance of late was a quarter-final appearance in this competition two seasons ago when they were eventually eliminated at the hands of Marseille.
The Jambos will be buzzing after a tremendous 3-1 win against Rosenborg overturned a 2-1 deficit and they could be a bit of value at 2/1 this evening.
Plenty of Aberdeen fans have made the pilgrimage to Gothenburg, the scene of their greatest victory, for tonight’s clash with BK Hacken.
The Dons lifted the 1983 European Cup Winners Cup in the city and boss Barry Robson will be hoping his team can channel the powers of Leighton, McLeish, Miller, Strachan, McGhee et al and guide his team to a first leg lead in the Europa League.
Hacken were crowned Swedish champions for the first time in their history back in November and they currently trail leaders Elfsborg by a point in this season’s Allsvenskan after 20 matches.
The two sides met just two seasons ago when the Dons progressed thanks to a 5-3 aggregate win. The hard work was done at Pittodrie where Aberdeen won 5-1, only to lose 2-0 in the return leg. But things could be a bit trickier this time round.
The Swedes are favourites to qualify at 4/9 which could be as a result of their thumping 8-1 aggregate win over Zalgiris in the previous round. Aberdeen are 13/8.
The most illustrious club in action tonight are undoubtedly Ajax who find themselves trying to qualify for the Europa League group stages.
The four-time European Champions face Bulgarian champions, Ludogorets, who dropped in to the competition following elimination from the Champions League at the hands of Olimpija Ljubljana who have subsequently been knocked-out by Galatasaray.
It might not be a vintage Ajax side but there’s goals in their team and they’re 8/13 to net two or more.
There should also be goals at AZ’s clash with Brann. Pascal Jansen’s men lead the way in Eredivisie and have scored eight goals in their opening two matches. The Norwegians are no stranger to a goal or two either having scored seven in their last two Eliteserien outings. Over 2.5 pays 3/5.
Super Singles
- Hearts to win 2/1 Bet365
Goals Double
- Ajax to score 2+
- AZ v Brann – Over 2.5 Goals
- Double pays 158/100 at Bet365
Upcoming Match Previews & Tips
- Football Bet of the Day: The Dons to be Häcked Down in Sweden on Thursday
- Thu 18:00 BK Hacken vs Aberdeen
- Thu 18:00 Rapid Vienna vs Fiorentina
- Thu 18:00 Fenerbahce vs FC Twente
- Thu 19:00 Dinamo Zagreb vs Sparta Prague
- Thu 19:45 Hearts vs PAOK
- Fri 20:00 Chelsea vs Luton Town
- Sat 12:30 Bournemouth vs Tottenham Hotspur
- Sat 15:00 Arsenal vs Fulham
- Sat 17:30 Brighton & Hove Albion vs West Ham United
- Sun 14:00 Sheffield United vs Manchester City
Golf Tips
The DP World Tour continues with a visit to the Czech Republic for this week’s Czech Masters at Albatross Golf Resort, Prague. The Caddy presents his best picks for success this weekend.
Horse Racing Tips
Zoulu Chief was a 9/1 winner for Rizzel in the final race of Day 1. For Day 2 of the Ebor meeting Rizzel has picked out a further three selections.
As ever, please share your tips in for today in the comments section below.
The post Thursday’s Top Tips: Jam Tarts Look Sweet at 2/1 appeared first on MrFixitsTips.