Thursday’s football tips: Go for cards at 11/10 as Villa face Fenerbache in Istanbul cauldron

Aston Villa have been justifying their status as Europa League favourites and they can lock down a place in the last 16 if they win away to Fenerbahce tonight.

Villa's Premier League title hopes suffered a blow at the weekend with a 1-0 home loss to Everton and they now have a tricky game in Turkey.

Fenerbahce sit 12th in the Europa League and a win could fire them into the top eight with a game to play so there's a lot at stake in Istanbul.

Fenerbache vs Aston Villa

You have to go all the way back to September for Fenerbache's last defeat, a 3-1 loss away to Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League.

Since then, they've racked up 13 wins and five draws so they could be worth a punt at 17/10 with Ladbrokes given they have home advantage.

Villa are 13/8 with Bet365 so the bookies are sitting on the fence and this should be a close game.

The half-time draw looks like the safest option at 27/20 with BetMGM while it could also pay to back a busy night for the officials.

Over 4.5 cards pays 11/10 with Bet365 and that looks decent value as the players should be fired up by a frenzied atmosphere.

Sporting Braga vs Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest are also ticking along nicely in the Europa League and a win away to Braga tonight would give them a great chance of reaching the last 16.

But it won't be easy in Portugal as they take on a team who sit seventh in the Europa League table after losing just one of their six games.

Braga also beat Benfica recently to lift the Portuguese League Cup and have lost just one of their last 12 in all competitions.

So this should be another close encounter and the half-time draw appeals again at 5/4 with BetMGM.

BTTS and over 2.5 goals have landed in three of the last four Braga games so combining those bets tonight could pay off at 13/10 with William Hill.

Interested in why both teams scoring is such a strong angle? Check out our Masterclass on BTTS and sharpen your match-reading game.

Rangers vs Ludogorets

It has been a dismal Europa League campaign for Rangers and they're pretty much done for after banking just one point from six games.

There's still an outside chance of them making the knockout stages but it would take a freak set of results to keep them alive.

However, Danny Rohl's men should finally get a win on the board when they face Bulgarian side Ludogorets at Ibrox tonight.

A domestic resurgence has changed the mood music at Rangers and they're a best evens at StarSports to give their fans something to cheer in Europe at last.

Tottenham loanee Mikey Moore has emerged as a key player in recent months and he's a tempting 13/10 at Bet365 for a goal or assist.

Super singles

• Over 4.5 cards in Fenerbache vs Aston Villa 11/10 Bet365
• Half-time draw in Braga vs Nottingham Forest 15/4 BetMGM
• Rangers to win Evens StarSports

Upcoming match previews and betting tips

• Thu 17:30 Fenerbahce vs Aston Villa
• Thu 17:45 Bologna vs Celtic
• Thu 20:00 Rangers vs Ludogorets
• Thu 20:00 Braga vs Nottingham Forest
• Thu 20:00 AS Roma vs Stuttgart

Racing tips

Rizzel is concentrating on the meeting at Wetherby today and has picked out two horses to watch.

• Thursday’s Racing Tips – Taxus Baccata is on a good handicap mark to take advantage of on stable debut

As always, leave your own tips and comments below.

🔗 Share on Social Media