Football Accumulator Tips: Thursday’s acca backs first-leg losers

The Europa League and Conference League takes centre stage on Thursday night and it is these games, along with one from the EFL that has caught my attention, that make up our Football Accumulator Tips.

You can check out the acca down below as we search for a winner.

AZ Alkmaar (H) to beat Shakhtar Donetsk (17:45) @ 1/1

Now you will notice a theme for my selections today, which involves backing teams that lost the first leg of their European ties fairly heavily. That may seem counterintuitive to some, but the way these ties often play out is that the team with the big lead, especially playing away from home, loses the second leg. 

After Shakhtar romped to a 3-0 win in the first leg, scoring three goals in the final 20 minutes of an even contest, they will be doing everything they can to make it through to the final four. That means they will probably set up defensively and waste time, while AZ know that they have to throw the kitchen sink at them to turn the tie around. I can see Shakhtar being more than happy to lose this game by one goal, and progress in the Conference League. 

Peterborough (H) to beat Port Vale (19:45) @ 8/11

League 1 now and Peterborough United are the favourites to take three points against bottom-of-the-league Port Vale. The basement boys have won two and lost three of their last five, but relegation looms large. 

Seven games remain for Vale and they will have to win five or six of those to have a chance of staying up. Posh have moved away from early-season relegation danger, and are now 16th. Winless in four, I’m backing them to get back to winning ways in this one on Thursday.

Fiorentina (H) to beat Crystal Palace (20:00) @ 6/4

I’m backing another side that lost a first-leg tie 3-0 here, with Fiorentina a good price to beat Crystal Palace on Thursday. Palace were superb in that first leg at Selhurst Park, but they will be targeting a clean sheet and a spot in the semis, rather than going to win again in Italy. 

Fiorentina beat Lazio 1-0 at the weekend and that Palace defeat was their only one in their last eight outings in all competitions, a run that has also seen them draw 1-1 with Serie A leaders Inter Milan. I’ll back La Viola to win the game, even though progression from the tie seems unlikely. 

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AEK Athens (H) to beat Rayo Vallecano (20:00) @ 21/20

Rayo Vallecano sit 13th in La Liga but put in a wonderful first-leg display to beat AEK Athens by three goals to nil. Their home form is good in the league, but I have serious concerns about them as an away side. 

Out of 16 league matches, they have lost 10 on the road, drawn three and won just three. Meanwhile AEK have won 11 of 13 home league matches this term. This disparity, and the fact Rayo will be setting up defensively, means the Greek hosts are well worth adding to our acca.

Real Betis (H) to beat Braga (20:00) @ 9/10

We finish with a far more balanced tie. Braga and Real Betis draw 1-1 in their first leg, but I do rank the Spaniards higher than the Portuguese at this moment in time and would expect them to progress on home soil. 

Betis sit fifth in La Liga and although they are winless in their last four in all competitions, three of those have been draws. Braga are a strong outfit but Betis should be able to get the better of them on home soil, having drawn on the road last week. 

That takes this acca to 33/1.

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