Europe UEFA Competitions 2025/26 - Champions League, Europa & Conference League

[spkutano]

Aston Villa vs Lille Preview (Thursday, 19.03.2026) Champions League:

Possible starting lineups:

Aston Villa:
Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Maatsen; Luiz, Onana; McGinn, Rogers, Sancho; Watkins

Lille:
Ozer; Santos, Mbemba, Mandi, Perraud; Bentaleb, Andre; Mukasu, Haraldsson, Perrin; Giroud

Aston Villa will welcome Lille to Villa Park in the second leg of their Europe League last-16 tie. The English side won 1:0 in France and they are favorites ahead of the second leg. Ollie Watkins' second-half header made the difference in the first leg. Lille also have some goal opportunities, the best through veteran striker Olivier Giroud, but failed to score. Overall, the French side had 3 shots on target, but Aston Villa scored from their only shot on target. The winners of the tie will face Bologna or Roma in the quarterfinals of the competition.

Aston Villa are the main favorites in UEFA Europe League. The bookmakers are offering odds around 3.25 for Aston Villa to win the competition. Indeed, the Midlands club were excellent in the group stage, winning seven of the possible eight matches. Winning the Europa League may represent an alternative way to the Champions League. This is important as they are awful in the Premier League, losing the third consecutive match last weekend. Emery has four injury worries ahead of this match. Youri Tielemans and Boubacar Kamara remain sidelined with injuries, while Emiliano Buendia and Matty Cash are rated as doubtful.

Lille lost the home fixture seven days ago and now face a difficult task of overturning the deficit away from home. What is positive, that's the fact it is something they have already achieved this season. Bruno Genesio’s men came from one goal down against Crvena Zvezda Belgrade to win 2:1 on aggregate, after extra time. On Sunday they beat Rennes, Nevertheless, Aston Villa are class above the Serbian champions or Rennes. Genesio has five injured players out of this match. Hamza Igamane, Ethan Mbappe Lottin, Marc-Aurele Caillard, Osame Sahraoui and Ousmane Toure are all ruled out.

Aston Villa vs Lille Prediction:

I expect both teams to score in Birmingham. So far Aston Villa have played nine matches in Europe League and scored in all nine. It will be normal to find the back of the net again. Lille, meanwhile, lost at home and now must win as guests. It is not impossible, Lille already have a victory at Villa Park some 24 years ago, when they claimed a 2:0 away win over Aston Villa in the second leg of an Intertoto Cup semi-final tie. Both teams have good strikers, Ollie Watkins at one and Olivier Giroud on other side. Aston Villa have one-goal advantage, but they won't calculate in front of their own fans. Usually they are supported by Prince William when play European fixtures, so the players will have big motivation. Lille have no space for calculations, they need a victory to stay in the match. I expect an open game with goals on both sides.

Aston Villa vs Lille Pick: Both teams to score - Yes @ 1.91 with Bet365

 

[spkutano]

Denmark vs N.Macedonia Preview (Wednesday, 26.04.2026) World Cup 2026 Qualifications:

Possible starting lineups:

Denmark:
Hermansen; Hogsberg, Nelsson, Andersen, Maehle; Norgaard, Hjulmand; Isaksen, Eriksen, Lindstrom; Hojlund

N.Macedonia:
Dimitrievski; Zajkov, Musliu, Velkovski, Alioski; Alimi, Bardhi, Elmas; Churlinov, Trajkovski, Miovski

Denmark will welcome the Macedonian national team in the semi-final of World Cup 2026 qualifications. One match only, and that means the Danes are huge favorites at the Parken Stadium. Denmark were dominant in the group and were inches away from the first place and direct qualification for the World Cup in USA, Canada and Mexico. But they obviously underestimated the last two matches. First they played a 2:2 draw with Belarus in Copenhagen. Just to mention, Denmark won 6:0 the reverse fixture and nobody could explain how they dropped two points at home. In the last round they visited Scotland where lost 4:2 and finished the campaign on the second place. Nevertheless, they play at home and they are clear favorites. At Parken, Denmark have lost just once in their last 20 matches. Coach Riemer has several important players unavailable due to injury or suspension. Joachim Andersen is banned, while Kasper Schmeichel, Andreas Christensen, Jannik Vestergaard and Patrick Dorgu are all out injured. Regardless of the fact many important players are unavailable, Denmark are still considered as big favorites in this match. The winners would face either Czech Republic or the Republic of Ireland in the final.

N.Macedonia are part of the playoffs thanks to UEFA Nations League campaign. In the qualifications they were targeted the second place in the group, but finished as third, behind Belgium and Wales. In both competitions they were coached by Blagoja Milevski. He had a contract until 2025, but it was quite normal to extent the deal for three more months to complete the campaign. Every normal Football Federation will do the same. But the Macedonian Football Federation decided to end the cooperation with Milevski and announced a new coach. The Football Federation believed that Goce Sedloski will contribute to the stability, continuity and progress of the national team with his experience, authority and deep knowledge of Macedonian football. However, I don't agree. According to me, that was a big mistake by the President Masar Omeragic. Just to mention, Sedloski is also Vardar coach and he will continue to work for both Vardar and national team. At the end I will write about the most recent match between two national teams. Believe or Not, Denmark strong side, The most recent meeting between these sides took place in 2013 when Denmark side came to Skopje with their biggest stars Kasper Schmeichel, Daniel Agger and Christian Eriksen. To be worse, Denmark suffered a heavy 3:0 defeat at National Arena Toshe Proeski.

Denmark vs N.Macedonia Prediction:

Danish coach Riemer faces a significant defensive crisis, with Joachim Andersen suspended, while Kasper Schmeichel, Andreas Christensen, Jannik Vestergaard and Patrick Dorgu all injured. But let's discuss about that. Hermansen is also a good and experienced keeper who play for West Ham in the Premier League. Even the second option Frederik Riis Ronnow is solid goalkeeper that play for Bundesliga club Union Berlin. According to me, that's not a handicap for Denmark. Four defenders are out, but they will not play against Halaand or Harry Kane, they will face Bojan Miovski. The Rangers striker is far from his best, scoring just 4 goals this season in the Scottish Premiership, plus one in Europe League. He also netted 3 for the national team. Denmark are superior in the midfield with quality that provide stars like Christian Eriksen, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Morten Hjulmand. So, the hosts will control the ball and permanently attack from the very first minute. Could Macedonian keeper Stole Dimitrievski kept the net untouched? Well, he did against Belgium in the qualifications, but it was a game between cat and mouse. Belgium missed several good opportunities and several big chances. I expect many difficulties for the guests. Rasmus Hojlund had a good season in Napoli, scoring 10 goals in Serie A and three more in the Champions League. With 5 more for Denmark, I believe his confidence is very high. He is physical and no way Musliu or Zajkov to keep him quiet. Macedonian players will try to stay competitive as much as possible, but once they conceded, I predict a total collapse.

Denmark vs N.Macedonia Pick: Denmark -1.5 AH @ 1.85 with Everygame

 

[MasterTips1X2]

View attachment 8703

Inter vs Liverpool Preview (Tuesday) Champions League:

Possible starting lineups:

Inter:
Sommer; Akanji, Bisseck, Bastoni; Augusto, Zielinski, Barella, Calhanoglu, Dimarco; Thuram, Martinez

Liverpool:
Alisson; Bradley, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Jones; Szoboszlai, Wirtz, Chiesa; Ekitike

Inter have 12 points after the first five rounds. They started with a 2:0 win against Ajax in Amsterdam and then secured three more. The Nerazzurri outplayed Slavia Prague (3:0) and Royale Union (4:0), while Kairat Almaty were narrowly beaten 2:1. The perfect series came to its end in the fifth round when Inter lost 2:1 to Atletico Madrid. Julian Alvarez had given the home side a lead after 9 minutes. It was his 10th goal in 14 Champions League appearances since signing from Manchester City. The Italians drew level through Piotr Zielinski's goal in the 54th minute. It looked like the points will be shared, but Jose Maria Gimenez scored a last-gasp winner. The defeat leaves Inter in fourth place - level on 12 points with Paris St-Germain, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. Coach Cristian Chivu could be satisfied with the actual record, though there is no space for any relaxation. The Romanian tactician has some injury issues as Matteo Darmian, Tomas Palacios and backup goalkeeper Raffaele Di Gennaro are out injured, while Denzel Dumfries is rated as doubtful.

Liverpool have 9 points, but they are in very specific situation. The Reds are in big crisis, maybe the biggest one in the last 50 years. During the weekend Liverpool visited Leeds United and collect one point, playing a 3:3 draw. In fact Slot and his men dropped two points as they had a 2:0 lead thanks to Hugo Ekitike's brace early in the second half. Nevertheless, everything went wrong way after Ibrahima Konate made a stupid penalty that was converted by Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the 73rd minute. Just two minutes later Anton Stach equalized the result. Dominik Szoboszlai restored the Reds' lead, but Ao Tanaka rescued point for Leeds in the stoppage time. It means Liverpool are now unbeaten in the last three Premier League matches, but collect just 5 from the possible 9 points. To be worse, Mohamed Salah was benched and he addressed his frustrations to Arne Slot. The Egypt winger said that he feels as though he has been "thrown under the bus" by Liverpool and that his relationship with head coach Slot has broken down. It remains to be seen if his relationship with the Dutchman and the club can be repaired.

Inter vs Liverpool Prediction:

Inter have 12 points and victory here will probably guarantee Top-8 finish. Liverpool, meanwhile. have 9 points and they will probably go through playoff's. However, Liverpool need a positive result in this match more than anything. But big question is how. How the team that conceded three goals from Leeds United or Nottingham could escape the defeat at Meazza? The results in Europe are slightly better, but the Reds conceded four goals from PSV at Anfield in the last round. The defense looks like "Swiss cheese". It will be a miracle to keep a clean sheet at Meazza. At the same time Slott has fantastic players up front. With or without Salah, Liverpool are able to score against every European team.

Inter vs Liverpool Pick: Both teams to score -Yes @ 1.57 with Bet365

european leaguesare becoming more unpredictable, so deep analysis is must now.