The UEFA Europa League qualifiers, much like the more lucrative Champions League, are quickly drawing to a close. On Thursday, August 7, most of the first-leg matches of the third qualifying round will be played, with the return legs scheduled for a week later. Today, we’ll take a look at the most interesting matchups and share our best bets for four of the day’s games, featuring Utrecht, Shakhtar Donetsk, Legia Warsaw, and others.
AEK Larnaca vs. Legia
Both teams advanced from the previous qualifying rounds in a similar fashion: a draw away and a narrow home victory. It’s likely that the home-field advantage will once again play a key role in this tie.
For the past two years, the Cypriot side has failed to make it to the group stage of a European competition. Last season was a disaster, which, by the way, led to the dismissal of their head coach. AEK Larnaca lost to Hungary’s “Paks” 0-5 on aggregate. The year before that, a narrow away loss to Maccabi Tel Aviv ended their hopes.
This season, Imanol Idiakez’s team has already knocked out Serbia’s Partizan and Slovenia’s Celje.
Legia are regular participants in European competitions in recent seasons. What’s more, they’ve reached the Conference League playoff round two years in a row.
The Ekstraklasa season has already started, so the Polish team is in better match fitness. Legia has not lost in six matches this season.
We expect a cautious game in Cyprus. It’s entirely possible that a draw would suit the visitors, while the hosts will try to get the most out of their home game.
Bet: AEK Larnaca to win by one goal or a draw – 1.86
Häcken vs. Brann
A Scandinavian clash is set to take place in Gothenburg, Sweden, as part of the European qualifiers. Interestingly, both teams are currently in third place in their respective domestic leagues.
Häcken surprised European football by knocking out the much more famous Anderlecht in the previous round. The Swedes also played in the Europa League group stage in the 2023/24 season, although they failed to pick up a single point.
Brann, the silver medalists of the Eliteserien, previously had an inglorious exit from the Champions League qualifiers at the hands of Austria’s Salzburg. In general, the Norwegians last played in the group stage of a European competition back in the 2008/09 season, and have consistently failed to qualify since then.
Given Häcken’s greater European experience and the home-field advantage, the Swedes look like the favorites in this tie.
Bet: Häcken to win with a handicap of (0) – 1.93
Panathinaikos vs. Shakhtar
Panathinaikos hosts Shakhtar in a European qualifying match that promises to be intense and spectacular. The Athens club hopes for the support of the home crowd and aims to bounce back after a loss to Rangers. Shakhtar, in turn, will once again try to demonstrate their European experience and class on the international stage.
Despite a significant statistical advantage and generally higher quality play in the previous round, Panathinaikos now only has a chance to qualify for the second-most prestigious European tournament. In Athens, the Greeks will likely be forced to play on the front foot.
Shakhtar, after an impressive performance against Beşiktaş, is unlikely to fear the Greeks. However, a tough match in the Ukrainian Premier League, where the “Miners” only narrowly beat newcomer Epicentr, surely took a lot of their energy.
Regarding the bet, it’s worth paying attention to the total corners for the home team. In both matches against Rangers, Panathinaikos had more corners: 6-3 away, even while playing with 10 men, and 9-5 at home. Shakhtar, on the other hand, lost the corner count to Beşiktaş away in Istanbul (1-4), and the home match was a parity at 3-3.
Bet: Panathinaikos to win with a corners handicap of (-1) – 2.10
Servette vs. Utrecht
At the Stade de Genève, Swiss side Servette will host the Netherlands’ Utrecht.
After a somewhat illogical away victory in the Czech Republic, the Swiss team lost 1-3 at home and dropped out of the Champions League into the Europa League qualifiers.
Utrecht, on the other hand, confidently overcame Moldova’s Sheriff in both legs (1-3 and 4-1), displaying good attacking football.
The start of the new season has been extremely unsuccessful for the Swiss vice-champions: three losses in their first four matches. This match, therefore, has special significance, especially for the hosts. According to media reports, the future of head coach Tom Haberli at the club may depend on the results of the two Europa League qualifying matches.
Utrecht finished last season in fourth place in the Eredivisie, right behind the traditional league leaders, which earned them a spot in the Europa League qualifiers. The Dutch side last participated in European competition in the 2019/20 season, when they were eliminated by Zrinjski. Two confident victories over Sheriff in their recent matches give their fans reason for optimism.
Predicting the outcome of this game is a difficult task, as despite their poor start to the season, Servette still looks like a slightly bigger favorite, at least on their home turf. At the same time, it will be interesting to pay attention to the total corners in the match – this market could prove to be a promising one for betting.
Bet: Total corners over 10 – 1.91