talkSPORT tips – Best football bets and expert advice on Thursday 29 January

The first phase of the Europa League reaches a crescendo on Thursday night with 18 ties taking place across the continent.

There are top-eight places and playoff spots up for grabs and we have a trio of selections which make up our best bets of the day.

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Thursday football tips

Bet of the Day – Real Betis to win & over 2.5 goals vs Feyenoord @ 8/5

Real Betis can secure a top-eight position in the Europa League with a Villamarin Stadium victory over Feyenoord and the Seville side should seal the deal in style.

Los Verdiblancos have lost only four of their last 19 games in all competitions and two of those defeats came against elite-level teams Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Betis have been defeated in just one of their seven Europa League ties and that run includes excellent wins over Utrecht, Lyon, Ludogorets and Dinamo Zagreb.

Feyenoord have been decimated by injuries this season and while that can be offered as mitigation, it’s only four wins in 14 matches for the Dutch side.

The Club on the Meuse lost another three players to injury in the weekend’s victory over Heracles and they are likely to be picked off by Betis as they chase a result in Seville.

Longshot of the Day – Utrecht to beat Celtic @ 8/1 

Celtic need to beat Utrecht in order to secure a place in the Europa League playoffs, while the Dutch side’s qualification hopes are over. 

The Hoops needed to beat Kairat to qualify for the Champions League in the early part of the campaign, and even with those huge riches on the line, Celtic couldn’t score a single goal in that two-legged tie.

There is the perception of some uplift since Martin O’Neill returned for the second time this season, but the Bhoys were second-best in a 2-2 draw with Hearts on Sunday and that was a gruelling fixture in which Celtic finished with ten men.

Utrecht have had a miserable Europa League campaign and domestic competition hasn’t offered much sanctuary, but they are capable of winning in Glasgow.

Special of the Day – Porto to win v Rangers, Freiburg to beat Lille, Ludogorets to beat Nice treble @ 7/1

Rangers are unlikely to give their Europa League clash with Porto top priority, given they can’t progress in the competition and they are in the thick of a Scottish Premiership title race. 

Porto have lost just two of their 30 games this term and should be far too strong on Thursday.

Lille have lost five straight matches, the latest defeat was a 4-1 home hammering by Strasbourg and they look far too short at home against a Freiburg side pushing for a top-two finish.

Nice’s qualification hopes are over and the Eagles have won only three of their last 15 matches in 90 minutes.

Ludogorets have hopes of a playoff place and last week’s 1-0 loss at Ibrox against Rangers was there first defeat in nine games.

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