Kick Off: 2005, 20/04/2017
Stadium: Genk Arena
TV: BT Sport ESPN
Celta Vigo edged out Genk in a five-goal thriller in Spain last week and it is hard to imagine anything other than another open contest in the second leg of their Europa League tie in Belgium.
There was some good skill and neat finishing on show at Balaidos but also two very open defences and some dodgy goalkeeping efforts.
We’re hoping for more of the same and the first of this week’s Genk vs Celta Vigo betting tips is to take 5/2 for the Spanish side to win and there to be over 2.5 goals in the game again.
A Look At Genk’s Betting Odds
Genk had the first and last word in the opening encounter, with Jean-Paul Boetius heading them in front after just 10 minutes and veteran playmaker Thomas Buffel showing great persistence to strike after Celta Vigo had then carved them open time and time again.
Former Manchester United assistant coach Albert Stuivenberg will now hope Genk can further enhance a strong home record in this competition, with seven wins and a draw registered from eight previous Europa League games here.
A 2-0 defeat of Athletic Bilbao stands out from that list while a third straight domestic win over the weekend, when romping to a 3-0 victory at Kortrijk, will have kept spirits high in the Genk camp.
The hosts should again be competitive but we like 13/4 for Celta Vigo to prevail and both teams to score.
A Look At Celta Vigo’s Betting Odds
Celta Vigo were in the spotlight on Sunday when claiming a fine 3-0 triumph at Granada, ensuring Tony Adams suffered a disappointing first match in charge of their struggling hosts.
Celta have still conceded more away goals than any other team in the top half of La Liga this season, though, so the feeling is that they will have to continue to push forward themselves in Belgium if they are to qualify for the semi-finals.
Fortunately, they have former Manchester City striker John Guidetti, who enjoyed a successful loan spell at Celtic, in good form after he scored for the fourth time in this Europa League campaign at Genk.
The 25-year-old has admitted how much it would mean to him to reach the final in his home country of Sweden and he is 6/1 to open the scoring.
Additional stats
First-leg result:
CELTA VIGO 3-2 GENK – Pione Sisto, Iago Aspas, John Guidetti; Jean-Paul Boetius, Thomas Buffel
Previous head-to-head: N/A
