Europa League Matchday 6 preview: United and Arsenal seek to top their groups

The final matchday of the Europa League group stage is upon us, with qualification positions for the knockout phase still up for grabs. Both English sides are safely through after impressive group-stage campaigns so far, but winning the group is still far from guaranteed for both.

We preview three fixtures below, alongside some of our favourite bets.

Real Sociedad v Manchester United

Both Real Sociedad and Manchester United will feature in the knockout stage of the Europa League after already securing qualification, but Erik ten Hag’s side will likely want to finish as Group E winners to give them a more favourable draw. To achieve that, they need to avenge their 1-0 loss at home to the Spanish side in September by beating Sociedad at the Reale Arena.

United have shown plenty of improvement since that disappointing defeat at Old Trafford, winning seven of their ten games in all competitions, and will start Thursday’s showdown as 6/5 favourites. It promises to be a tight affair between these two sides, and with United’s last four league games featuring under 2.5 goals, odds of 17/20 for that feat to be repeated could be a feasible punt.

Sociedad have seen their promising domestic campaign tail off slightly after successive losses in the league, but Imanol Alguacil’s side still hold onto fifth position in La Liga, just one point off Real Betis in third. While their away record has laid the foundations for their strong start, exemplified by their win at Old Trafford earlier in the season, their record at home has been comparatively questionable, only winning three of their six fixtures in the league at the Reale Arena.

Sociedad will start as 11/5 underdogs for Thursday’s contest as they seek to overturn their underwhelming home form. United have netted nine goals in their last four away matches, so watch out for the in-form Marcus Rashford to continue his personal good form. The England forward is 9/5 to find the net anytime.

Arsenal v FC Zurich

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal have likewise safely made their way through to the round of 32, but a disappointing 2-0 loss to PSV last Thursday opened the door for the Dutch outfit to top the group if results go their way. The Gunners need a victory here to guarantee qualifying as group winners, and are heavily fancied at 1/7 to achieve that.

Fans of the north London side may have suspected the wheels were coming off after successive winless games for the first time this season, but the Gunners responded to any criticism with a dominant 5-0 victory over the weekend to reinstate their position at the top of the tree. Arsenal have seen over 3.5 goals in four of their six league games at home this campaign and are 17/20 to do so again on Thursday.

Having won the Swiss Super League last season, FC Zurich find themselves at the foot of the table after 14 games this campaign after a disastrous run of poor form. Bo Henricksen’s side finally picked up their first domestic win of the season on Sunday, but are massively priced at 16/1 to come away from the Emirates with all three points this week.

Arsenal have a big London derby away at Chelsea this Sunday, so picking some more obscure players to find the net in what will likely be a heavily rotated side may be a profitable move. Reiss Nelson, who netted twice on his first Premier League appearance of the season against Forest at the weekend, is 5/1 to open the scoring on Thursday. Meanwhile, Eddie Nketiah, who scored the winner in the reverse fixture between these two sides, is 3/1 to net the last goal again.

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Feyenoord v Lazio

Group F has arguably been the most tightly contested group in the Europa League so far, with all four teams still in with a shout of securing qualification amid a myriad of potential outcomes. As far as these two are concerned, Feyenoord, currently third on five points, must win to stay in contention, and are 6/5 favourites to achieve that feat.

If the Dutch side fail to win they will have to rely on Midtjylland to do them a favour, whilst Lazio, priced as 21/10 underdogs for Thursday’s match, simply need to avoid defeat to qualify. Maurizio Sarri’s side have netted the opening goal in nine of their last ten league fixtures and are priced at 21/20 to strike the first blow at De Kuip stadium.

Despite this impressive record of scoring first, Lazio have failed to win nine of their last ten Europa League away games (losing seven), so Feyenoord double chance (home win/draw) at 4/11 could be a useful punt as part of a wider accumulator.

In terms of personnel, Feyenoord centre-back David Hancko has scored a first-half goal in both of Feyenoord’s UEL home games this term, and is a bold shout at 8/1 to get on the scoresheet again on Thursday. Meanwhile, Lazio’s threatening Sergej Milinković-Savić, who’s chalked up five goals and seven assists from midfield this season, is 3/1 to find the net anytime.

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