The UEFA Europa League group phase continues this Thursday, so take a look at our tips and predictions for the Group B matches. With plenty of picks and markets to choose from, don’t waste your time and enter the action at Get More Sports.
Dynamo Kiev (Ukr) vs. Young Boys (Swi)
Three-Way: 1: Dynamo Kiev -127; X: +313 Draw; 2: Young Boys +430
Spread -0.5: Dynamo Kiev -135; Young Boys +125
Total +2.5: Over -133; Under +124
DYNAMO KIEV
The Ukrainian vice-champions are not strong as it was the case in the previous years, but they are the biggest favorites in this Europa League group, which is one of the weakest in the competition, and it would be surprising not to see them going through. Dynamo won both games over Skenderbeu and Partizan, even though they were 0-2 down at half-time in Belgrade. With a potential victory here, Dynamo will likely secure the first place in the group, so they will be looking to finish the job as early as possible. However, the Swiss side already beat them in the UCL qualification in this campaign, so Young Boys mustn’t be underestimated. Dynamo is not in good form at the moment; they won only one in the previous four outings, and are seven points behind the arch-rivals Shakhtar Donetsk on the Ukrainian Premier League standings.
Dynamo Kiev has played 18 games so far in the 2017/18 season, recording 11 wins, four draws, and three defeats, with a goal difference of 36:21, which is 3.15 goals per contest on average. In nine matches at NSK Olimpisky, Dynamo won eight and drew just one, scoring 27 and allowing only five goals, so the visitors will have a mountain to climb to avoid a loss here. Their previous meeting at NSK ended 3-1 for the hosts.
Dieumerci Mbokani is the team’s leading scorer with seven goals to his name, while Viktor Tsygankov with five, and Vitali Buyalski and Junior Moraes with four are right behind Mbokani on the goal-scoring chart. The attacking midfielder Denys Garmash is the most creative individual with four assists, while Tamas Kadar added three dishes so far. Alyaksandr Khatskevich is delighted to have all of his players healthy and available for this tilt, and there is no doubt he will field his best eleven.
YOUNG BOYS
The current leaders of the Swiss Super League drew the first two matches in the Europa League, but still, they have a decent chance to qualify for the knockout stage. Young Boys suffered a 1-2 loss at Lausanne, but they do have three points more than Zurich and five than the champions Basel. A potential victory in Kiev would boost their mood, but taking points from Dynamo in Ukraine is a quite tough task so they would be satisfied with a point, I guess.
Young Boys played 19 games in this campaign, recording ten wins, four draws, and five defeats, with a goal difference of 38:18, which is almost three goals per contest on average. Considering the goal-scoring record of both rivals, I am expecting to see plenty of goals at NSK, as we already saw four in their previous H2H meeting in Ukraine.
Christian Fassnacht, Roger Assale, and Jean-Pierre Nsame are the team’s top scorers with eight goals each, while Assale and Fassnacht are the best assist-maker with seven and five assists, respectively. The head coach Adi Hutter cannot count on striker Guillaume Hoarau due to a hamstring injury; the left-back Loris Benito is out for the same reason, while Taulant Seferi (groin), Leonardo Betrone (ankle), and Miralem Sulejmani are all sidelined and will not feature in Kiev.
Dynamo Kiev (Ukr) vs. Young Boys (Swi) – Match Prediction
Both teams are quite efficient this season, and I would be surprised if we don’t see a bunch of goals here, so I am backing over on this one.
MY PICK: Over 2.5 goals (-133)
Skenderbeu (Alb) vs. Partizan (Ser)
Three-Way: 1: Skenderbeu +242; X: +239 Draw; 2: Partizan +150
Spread 0: Skenderbeu +141; Partizan -135
Total +2: Over -123; Under +124
SKENDERBEU
The Snow Wolves are currently at the top of the Albanian Super League with three points ahead of the second-placed Kukesi, and they even managed to snatch a draw in the previous round of the UEFA Europa League with Young Boys at home. The second place in the Europa League group B is up for grabs and Skenderbeu have a historic chance to qualify for the knockout stage, but only if they win on Thursday. It’s going to be their second match at home, and if they fail to get a victory, the Albanians will find it hard to collect points in away games. They are in the fantastic form of four consecutive wins, scoring 17 goals in the process, so the visitors will not have an easy job in Albania.
Skenderbeu played 18 games in the 2017/18, recording 11 wins, five draws, and two defeats, with a goal difference of 46:14, which is 3.33 goals per contest on average. When it comes to home matches, Skenderbeu scored in each of ten outings, conceding only five goals, so Partizan must do their best to find the net past Orges Shehi. These rivals never met before, but we are all aware of Serbian-Albanian relations, and this clash will surely be electrifying one. The White and Reds are playing their home games in Europe at Elbasan Arena
The midfielder Sabien Lilaj and Gambian forward Ali Sowe are the team’s leading scorer with five goals to their respective names, while Gjergj Muzaka and Liridon Latifi are right behind them with four goals each. Muzaka and Afrim Taku have three assists, and they could create a lot of problems to Partizan’s defense as Muzaka already recorded a dish against Young Boys. Head coach Ilir Daya is without injury-related concerns and is happy to have all of his players available for this encounter.
PARTIZAN
The Serbian champions missed a great opportunity to beat Dynamo Kiev in the Europa League previous round, despite having a 2:0 halftime lead. However, the defensive mistakes and the experience of Ukrainians played a big part in their breakdown and 2:3 loss, so Partizan now needs to search for points away from home. The Steamroller won the last two matches and are without a conceded goal over the previous three, which is quite encouraging ahead of this fixture that could be decisive for Partizan.
Partizan played 21 games in the 2017/18 campaign so far, recording 11 wins, seven draws, and three losses, with a goal difference of 39:18, which is 2.7 goals per contest on average. The interesting thing is that Partizan are without an away defeat this season, as they have six victories and four draws, including the ones at Young Boys, Olympiakos, and arch-rivals Crvena Zvezda. The Black-Whites allowed just five goals away from home, so this clash with Skenderbeu is surely going to be an interesting affair.
Leandre Tawamba is currently the team’s top scorer with eight goals to his name, while Seydouba Soumah with four and Ognjen Ozegovic with three are also significant contributors. The Cameroonian forward Tawamba is the best assist-maker as well, as he recorded eight dishes. Marko Jankovic has four, and Petar Djurickovic added three assists. The midfielder Nebojsa Kosovic is sidelined with a knee injury and will be out of the action until February, but other players are healthy and ready to go.
Skenderbeu (Alb) vs. Partizan (Ser) – Match Prediction
Partizan is a slight favorite to win here, and three points would help them in second-place pursuit, but I will go with the safer option and double chance.
MY PICK: Partizan to win (+150)
