The Round of 16 first-leg ties in the UEFA Europa Conference League will take place this week, with teams battling for a place in the quarter-finals. Games will take place on Friday, March 13, with two kick-off times.
Games scheduled to be played are:
- Rijeka vs Strasbourg (04:45 AEDT)
- Lech Poznan vs Shakhtar Donetsk (04:45 AEDT)
- AZ Alkmaar vs Sparta Praha (04:45 AEDT)
- Samsunspor vs Rayo Vallecano (04:45 AEDT)
- Crystal Palace vs AEK Larnaca (07:00 AEDT)
- Sigma vs Mainz (07:00 AEDT)
- Fiorentina vs Raków Częstochowa (07:00 AEDT)
- Celje vs AEK Athens (07:00 AEDT)
Quick Picks
Our pick: Crystal Palace to win
Value bet: Fiorentina to win
Long shot: Crystal Palace to win 1-0
Betting Preview
The tie between Crystal Palace and AEK Larnaca have already played each other in this year's competition, with the Cypriot side securing a surprising 1-0 victory in England. Riad Bajic scored the only goal of the game in the second half. The three points helped them to finish above Palace in the table, despite the English side being the favourites to win.
Palace are arguably in a worse place after losing key players to injuries and transfers in the January transfer window. However, they've hit some decent form in recent games, including winning against Tottenham in the Premier League.
Fiorentina vs. Raków Częstochowa is also worth watching closely. The Italians needed to come through the playoffs, doing so by beating Polish opposition. They won their first-leg encounter (at home) 3-0. However, they showed goals could be scored as they lost 4-2 in the return, winning 5-4 on aggregate. If you're interested in betting on Italian football, Fiorentina's European run is worth following.
Betting Markets to Watch
Crystal Palace are big favourites to win their game, and it's what we think is likely to happen. Oliver Glasner's side are in better form, but we don't think there'll be too many goals.
Fewer than three goals have been scored in five of Palace's last seven home games, while fewer than three goals have been scored in five of AEK Larnaca's six Conference League clashes. Both teams lack a clinical edge, so we think the 'Under 2.5 Goals' offers value, as does a 'Crystal Palace 1-0' correct score.
In the Fiorentina vs. Raków Częstochowa game, the 'Over 2.5 Goals' market offers value in this game. The Italians were free-flowing last time out, but have shown they can concede with regularity. At the same time, it's the hardest game of the competition that Rakow will have played. It'll be a true test and one that could prove too difficult to overcome. By extension, we think the 'Yes' in the BTTS offers value.
Our Prediction
Check the latest UECL betting odds at Sportsbet.
Our top predictions are as follows:
- Crystal Palace to win 1-0
- Fiorentina and Rakow to both score
- Lech Poznan vs Shakhtar to have over 2.5 goals - both teams didn't struggle to score goals in the Group Phase, while they've both been consistent domestically.
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