talkSPORT tips – Best football bets and expert advice for Thursday 11 December

The Europa League is central to our betting focus on Thursday night with crucial clashes wherever you look for several British clubs.

Aston Villa put their Premier League challenge to one side as Unai Emery takes his team to Switzerland to face the reigning Swiss champions Basel.

Nottingham Forest are in the Netherlands as Sean Dyche’s side try to virtually assure a place in the knockout phase by beating Utrecht.

And after his baptism of fire against Hearts, Wilfried Nancy attempts to earn his first win as Celtic boss against Serie A giants Roma in Glasgow.

We’ve picked out three bets to consider adding to your Thursday coupon.

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Thursday’s football betting tips

Bet of the Day – Roma to Beat Celtic @ 23/20 

It’s probably fair to say Celtic fans have been underwhelmed by the appointment of Nancy and the football served up by the new coach during a difficult debut defeat to title rivals Hearts on Sunday.

Following in the footsteps of Martin O’Neill, even in his short spell as interim boss, may prove tricky as Nancy tries to win over the squad and fans to his innovative style.

The arrival of Roma on Thursday will provide another stiff test for the Hoops, who have faced Italian opposition in Europe 23 times and have won four, drawn six and lost 13.

Gian Piero Gasperini’s side had been going well until back-to-back defeats against Napoli and Cagliari rocked them on their heels.

The Giallorossi have won their last two Europa League games, however, against the same Midtjylland side that overpowered Celtic recently as well as beating Rangers at Ibrox.

Roma should have enough European nous for Nancy’s team and are attractively priced to complete an Old Firm double on Thursday.

Special of the Day – Jadon Sancho to Score Anytime v Basel @ 13/5 

Aston Villa’s quest for European glory continues in Switzerland with Emery’s side keen to lock up a top-eight berth and turn their full focus back to the Premier League as quickly as possible.

The Spanish coach will rotate his winning side again with Jadon Sancho expected to start out wide after impressing in Villa’s 2-1 win over Young Boys last month.

The on-loan winger completed 88% of his passes and attempted a team-high five shots, registering a personal expected goals figure of 0.65.

His first goal in a Villa shirt might not be that far away if he carries on in a similar vein and Basel’s defence may not be able to handle him.

The Swiss side somehow scrambled a late winner against bottom club Winterthur on Sunday after surviving a succession of chances in which their defence was torn to shreds out wide.

Longshot of the Day – Nottingham Forest to Win 1-0 v Utrecht @ 11/2 

Forest can take a big step toward the Europa League round of 16 with a win at Utrecht’s Stadion Galgenwaard on Thursday.

They were humbled 3-0 at Everton last weekend, but this fixture offers the perfect chance to reset and reassert their European credentials.

Before that setback, Forest had been building momentum under Dyche, winning four of five matches and tightening up defensively.

The ex-Burnley boss has transformed the side into a disciplined unit, recording clean sheets against Liverpool at Anfield and against Porto and Malmo at the City Ground.

Their defensive metrics underline the improvement: across three European shutouts, Forest allowed just 0.75 expected goals against, five shots on target, and two big chances.

Utrecht, meanwhile, have endured a miserable campaign, collecting only one point from five group games and scoring twice.

Although stronger at home, they looked second best in a 1-1 draw with Twente last weekend. Dyche will demand a response, and Forest’s defensive solidity combined with Utrecht’s lack of cutting edge makes a 1-0 away win the likeliest outcome.

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