Michael O’Neill will be hoping to sign off his tenure as Northern Ireland boss on a high but faces a daunting test when the Netherlands visit Belfast. O’Neill is still in charge despite securing a switch to Championship club Stoke and will at least oversee this game and a trip to Germany in Euro 2020 Group C.
Danny Mills spent much of his career playing in the Premier League, most notably with Manchester City and Leeds United. He has remained in the game as a pundit and sat down with bwin this week for an exclusive interview where he discussed a variety of topics.
With Niko Kovac axed after a 5-1 loss to Eintracht Frankfurt, we’re taking a look at the Bayern Munich next manager odds to see who is tipped to replace him. Kovac led the German giants to a league and cup double last term, but things have turned sour this season.
Wolves did well to come from behind and beat Slovan Bratislava 2-1 in Slovakia and are fancied to come out on top in another open encounter at Molineux. Wanderers are currently a point behind Europa League Group K leaders Braga, with their opponents three points back in third at the halfway stage.
Celtic edged out Lazio 2-1 in a cracking Europa League contest at Parkhead, but we’re backing the Serie A outfit to claim revenge in the reverse fixture. The Hoops have a dreadful record when travelling to Italy in UEFA competitions, suffering nine defeats in 12 winless trips to this country.
Rangers were good value for their point when drawing 1-1 away to Porto in the Europa League and are fancied to come out on top in the return fixture. Both teams are on four points in what is proving a very tight pool, but home advantage has generally been the deciding factor in this section.
United haven’t been pretty to watch in the Europa League, but they are just about getting the job done and should see off Partizan Belgrade. The Red Devils top the Group L table on seven points after winning 1-0 in Serbia and will be all but through if doing the double over Savo Milosevic’s side.
PSV are going through a rocky patch in the Eredivisie but travelling to Linz to take on LASK in the Europa League could prove a welcome respite. The Dutch outfit were much the better team when these sides played out a goalless draw in Eindhoven a couple of weeks ago and still top the Group D table.
Feyenoord are facing an uphill battle to qualify from Europa League Group G after losing away to Young Boys two weeks ago but can gain quick revenge in Rotterdam. Home advantage has been a decisive factor in the fixtures so far in this pool and we’re hoping that trend continues at De Kuip.
Tottenham were dominant when thrashing Red Star 5-0 in London but their opponents invariably look a different team on home turf in the Champions League. Vladan Milojevic’s side beat Liverpool and drew with Napoli in Belgrade last season, while they have already seen off Olympiakos this term.
Atalanta had the audacity to score first when visiting Man City but went on to suffer a 5-1 Champions League mauling in that match. La Dea will have to go on the offensive again in the return fixture at the San Siro, as they try to recover from three straight Group C defeats, but this looks a lost cause.
Chelsea deserve great credit for their 1-0 Champions League triumph over Ajax in Amsterdam, but that Group H contest could easily have gone the other way. The Dutch giants earlier had a goal ruled out by VAR for the tightest of offside calls and hit the woodwork in a frantic, tetchy encounter.
Liverpool ultimately made light work of what had looked a tricky Champions League trip to Genk when winning 4-1 in Belgium and are hard to oppose in the reverse fixture. However, their opponents did create some decent chances in that first contest and seem determined to be positive.
Napoli shaded a five-goal thriller against RB Salzburg in Austria in the Champions League and can come out on top in another open encounter in Italy. Carlo Ancelotti’s side prevailed 3-0 when these teams met in the Europa League at Stadio San Paolo last term, but the visitors can grab a consolation this time.