talkSPORT tips – Best football bets and expert advice for Thursday 27 August

The new season is well underway and Thursday features a packed schedule with European play-off qualifiers taking place as well as EFL Cup and LaLiga clashes. 

Chelsea, Brighton and Barcelona are all in action and it promises to be an entertaining evening across the continent.

Here’s our best bet of the day, best value bet builder and a 9/2 five-fold acca.

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Bet of the day

Freiburg vs Motherwell – over 3.5 goals @ 11/10

Motherwell have a huge mountain to climb when they face Freiburg in their Conference League play-off tie on Thursday evening.

The Well lost the home leg 3-1 and it’s unlikely Alfred Johansson’s men will be able to overturn the deficit when they face the Breisgau Brazilians at the Europa-Park Stadion.

Freiburg, who reached the Europa League final last season, will be confident of a second-leg victory to sail through to the league phase and, having scored three goals in Scotland, can net even more at home.

The Germans beat Fortuna Dusseldorf 5-1 in the German Cup on Sunday while Motherwell have conceded in four of their last six matches. Backing over 3.5 goals for Thursday’s meeting could prove a smart bet.

Bet Builder

Brighton vs Tromso – Brighton to win, Jack Hinshelwood anytime goalscorer & over 10.5 corners @ 6/1

Brighton earned a hard-fought goalless draw against Tromso in Norway and will now be aiming to make home advantage count in their Conference League play-off clash.

The Seagulls head into the game on the back of a stunning 4-0 win over Aston Villa in their Premier League opener and should find they are among the goals when they face The Boys on Thursday.

Jack Hinshelwood netted a brace in the victory and will look to get on the scoresheet again in Europe. The midfielder scored in three straight matches last April and May and can continue his fine scoring form.

Brighton recorded a total of 11 corners in Norway while Tromso hit five and with progression to the league phase on the line, a more frantic game is expected. Thursday’s game featuring over 10.5 corners looks a likely outcome.

Acca

Chelsea, Monaco, Benfica, Barcelona and Celta Vigo to win @ 9/2

Chelsea have not won the EFL Cup since 2015 and last appeared in the final back in 2024. The Blues will be eager to go the distance in this season’s competition and host League One Luton Town at Stamford Bridge on Thursday night. Following on from the 3-2 win over Fulham in the Premier League on Monday, Chelsea should breeze past the Hatters.

On the continent, Monaco host Gornik Zabrze in a Conference League play-off and should win having claimed a 3-2 first-leg victory in Poland.

Benfica, meanwhile, hold a 3-1 advantage over Aarhus in Europa League qualifying and will be confident of getting the job done with a triumph on the road in Denmark.

Thursday night also sees action in Spain with Barcelona set to play their second La Liga game of the season. The Catalan giants beat Elche 5-0 in their opener and should triumph again when they host Athletic Bilbao, who lost 3-1 at home to Sevilla on Saturday.

Celta Vigo, who finished sixth last season, kicked off their campaign with a goalless draw at Valencia and will be favourites when they take on an Osasuna side who only avoided relegation in May with a superior head-to-head record. 

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Odds correct at time of publish and subject to change.

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