Burnley face an uphill battle to qualify for the Europa League group stage as they go into the second leg of their tie with Olympiacos 3-1 down. The Clarets have also been struggling in the Premier League, being beaten by the same scoreline against Watford and losing 4-2 at Fulham either side of the trip to Greece.
Celtic still have work to do when hosting Suduva in Thursday’s Europa League play-off but should be more focused for the second leg. The Hoops had to settle for a 1-1 draw in Lithuania but will be looking to assert some authority on the return fixture at Parkhead.
Rangers will take a 1-0 lead to Russia for the second leg of their Europa League qualifier with Ufa and are fancied to battle through to the group stage. Connor Goldson’s close-range strike put the Glasgow giants in the driving seat and they will now look to finish the job off.
Celtic could still be feeling sorry for themselves after a disappointing Champions League exit when visiting Partick in the Scottish League Cup. Add on the fact that Thistle pushed the Hoops hard in two Premiership encounters at Firhill last season and the feeling is that we may get a tight tussle in this tie.
Burnley are favourites to qualify from their Europa League tie with Istanbul Basaksehir after returning from Turkey on level terms but we fear the away goals rule could go against them. The Clarets set their stall out to stifle decent opponents and were up to the task, but now the onus is on them to be more positive.
Rangers have a golden chance of making the Europa League play-offs as they take a 3-1 lead to Slovenia for the second leg of their tie with NK Maribor. Steven Gerrard’s side have already managed to grind out positive results at Shkupi and Osijek in this competition, securing a goalless draw and a 1-0 triumph.
Molde have been impressive at home this season and Hibs face a tough test when visiting Norway for Thursday’s Europa League second-leg tie. Last week’s goalless draw at Easter Road was not the worst result in the world for the Edinburgh outfit, but we still feel they are now up against it.
Celtic’s bid to reach the Champions League group stage for a third straight season is set to right down to the wire when they visit AEK Athens. The Hoops will travel to Greece on level terms following last week’s 1-1 stalemate at Parkhead, when their opponents were reduced to 10 men in the 57th minute.
Runaway LaLiga winners Barcelona crushed Sevilla 5-0 in the Copa del Rey final but we’re expecting a much-closer contest in Sunday’s Spanish Super Cup clash. Los Rojiblancos drew 2-2 at home to the Catalan giants in league action last March and only went down 2-1 at Camp Nou in November.
Burnley had to survive a tough test at Aberdeen in the first leg of their Europa League tie but are now fancied to prove too strong on home soil. The Clarets looked the better team overall in a 1-1 draw at Pittodrie and are expected to improve for that outing in Thursday’s return fixture at Turf Moor.
Rangers had to ride their luck at times when beating NK Osijek in Croatia but are now in pole position to progress from this tricky Europa League tie. The Glasgow giants have looked strong at the back since Steven Gerrard’s arrival at Ibrox and are fancied to narrowly extend the 1-0 advantage on home turf.
Hibs pulled off an heroic comeback in the first leg of their Europa League clash with Asteras Tripolis but may find life tough in the return fixture. Neil Lennon’s side will take a slender 3-2 lead to Greece and their opponents have an impressive record at Theodoros Kolokotronis Stadium.
Robert Pires helped Marseille reach the UEFA Cup final, losing to Parma in 1999, after beginning his career with Metz. He was also capped 79 times by France, scoring 14 goals, winning the World Cup in 1998 as well as the European Championship two years later. In part two of an exclusive interview with bwin, the 44-year-old shares his thoughts on French football, both domestically and nationally.
Robert Pires won the Premier League and FA Cup on two occasions and was a Champions League runner-up during six successful seasons with Arsenal. In an exclusive interview with bwin, the 44-year-old shares his thoughts on his former club after Unai Emery replaced Arsene Wenger in the hot-seat at the Emirates Stadium.