UEFA Cup Tips

50% hit rate with this two tips, Hapoel did us proud in Israel as they beat an out of sorts Rangers. Not so good in the second, as PSG stunned AEK 2-0. If you follow both tips, you still be in profit though!

The Champions League returns next week but while we have to wait another seven days for Europe’s elite competition to make it’s comeback, the UEFA Cup takes centre stage on Wednesday and Thursday.

Rangers and Blackburn are the British representatives on the first night of action and it is the Scottish side that are involved in the first bet of the week. They are a decent lay at under 3.00 on their trip to Israel.

Walter Smith’s side take on Hapoel Tel Aviv and despite a decent qualifying campaign, there is little doubt that the Glasgow giants overall form is indifferent. They are miles off the pace in the SPL and have won just half of their fourteen away games. A poor return in such a substandard league.

Their opponents struggled to come through their qualifying section, finishing in third place, but they were part of a strong group and lost only away to Panathinaikos. With the best home record in Israel, Rangers are in for a tough night and, while they might be fortunate enough to grab a draw to take back to Ibrox, I cannot see them winning. Ugo Ehiogu and Kevin Thomson miss the trip through injury.

Of the other fixtures on Wednesday, AEK Athens catch the eye at odds against to get the better of PSG at home.

The Greek side are unfortunate not to be looking forward to a Champions League fixture next week as they finished Group H on eight points. That was just one shy of runners-up Lille and they were unbeaten at home; despatching Milan and the French side along the way without conceding. They sit proudly in second place domestically and have a fantastic home record. Nine wins from eleven games and still unbeaten, AEK average nearly three goals per game and can put PSG to the sword.

In contrast, the Parisians are enduring a shocking season domestically, they lie in sixteenth, and have picked up just one win on their travels all term. They limped through their group and only secured their place in the knockout stages with victory over an already qualified Panathinaikos. The recent arrival of Paul Le Geun as PSG boss has prompted a recent revival but the honeymoon period is hopefully about to end and the Greek side are fancied to establish a first leg lead.