ALEX CROOK: Europe Semi-Finals – 2nd Legs

Star Sports football ambassador ALEX CROOK previews this week’s action in the Champions League and Europa League…

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🇮🇹 INTER MILAN v BARCELONA 🇪🇸
Tuesday, 8pm

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If Barcelona’s trip to Milan on Tuesday is half as entertaining as the first leg, then we are in for another classic.

Two former winners came together to produce an epic six-goal thriller in Spain with 17-year-old Lamine Yamal once again announcing himself on the biggest stage.

Amid all the excitement, Inter boss Simone Inzaghi will have been disappointed to only come away with a draw after leading 2-0 (after only 21 minutes) and 3-2.

Unsurprisingly, there is little to split them in the market in terms of winning the tie but I make Barcelona favourites as they have the capability to outscore their hosts.

Inter have managed just one clean sheet in their last 11 games so I am backing Barcelona to win and both teams to score at 11/4 with starsports.bet.

Who would bet against Yamal taking the spotlight again. The teenage sensation is as big as 8/1 with starsports.bet to score the first goal.

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🇫🇷 PSG v ARSENAL 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
Wednesday, 8pm

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Arsenal travel to the French capital on Wednesday knowing only a win will do if they are to keep alive their hopes of winning the Champions League for the first time.

The Gunners were beaten 1-0 at the Emirates last week after struggling to recover from an early PSG onslaught with the visitors taking the lead after only five minutes and dominating the opening half an hour of the contest.

In the end a lot of home fans came away feeling relieved to be only a goal down and I do wonder if a substitute Bradley Barcola’s late miss when he had the chance to make it 2-0 could come back to haunt PSG.

The issue with making a case for Arsenal to turn the tie around in Paris is they seem to have lost momentum at just the wrong time of the season.

Mikel Arteta named a surprisingly strong team at home to Bournemouth on Saturday and the Gunners still lost, while PSG made ten changes for their clash with Strasbourg.

Only twice in Champions League history have a team lost the first leg of a semi-final at home and recovered to reach the final so it is easy to see why PSG are heavy odds-on favourites to go through.

PSG have conceded ten goals in their last six games and Arsenal have to score to stand any chance of progressing. The issue I do not see them keeping PSG’s free-flowing attack out at the other end.

Draw and both teams to score at 10/3 with starsports.bet is my main selection.

The return of Thomas Partey from suspension will give Declan Rice the chance to get higher up the pitch and the England man is 9/2 with starsports.bet to score at any time.

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🇳🇴 BODO GLIMT v TOTTENHAM 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
Thursday, 8pm

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Tottenham’s Europa League trip to the Arctic Circle on Thursday is nervier than it needed to be after Ange Postecoglou’s team conceded late in last week’s 3-1 first-leg win.

That goal changed the mood amongst the hardy 400 Tottenham supporters making the long trek to Norway and will give the home side hope they can continue their fairy-tale European adventure.

No Norwegian side have ever got this far in a major European competition let alone reached a final, but Bodo have a habit of doing special things on their artificial pitch.

Three years ago they thrashed Jose Mourinho’s Roma 4-0 in the Conference League, and they have already beaten Porto, Besiktas, put five past FC Twente, three past Olympiacos and defeated Lazio 2-0 at home this season.

In fact they have won their last five Europa League home games, all by the two-goal margin they need to force extra-time.

Tottenham also have the added headache of being without James Maddison, my man of the match from last week, captain Son, Lucas Bergvall and potentially main striker Dominic Solanke.

I do expect Spurs to win and it would be curtains for Ange if they don’t, but Spurs have also lost seven of their last ten away games so Bodo/Glimt to win at 13/8 looks over-priced to me, especially with the injury issues Postecoglou has to contend with.

With an open game expected, I am also going to back Bodo/Glimt to win and both Kasper Hogh and Brennan Johnson to score as a build-a-bet which returns 24/1 with starsports.bet.

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RECOMMENDED BETS
BACK Barcelona to win and both teams to score 1pt at 11/4 (⭐️ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)
BACK Lamine Yamal to score first 0.5pts at 8/1 (⭐️ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)
BACK PSG v Arsenal draw and both teams to score 1pt at 10/3 (⭐️ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)
BACK Declan Rice to score at any time 1pt at 9/2 (⭐️ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)
BACK Bodo-Glimt to win 1pt at 13/8 (⭐️ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)
Build-a-bet: Bodo/Glimt to win, Kasper Hogh and Brennan Johnson both to score at any time 1pt
at 24/1 with starsports.bet

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