Wednesday 25th September 2024

In Across the Leagues today:

• Champions League…
• Europa League…
• Conference League…

This season’s UEFA cups mega-acca is 392/1…

Our UEFA cup club competitions ‘mega-acca’ is becoming something of an annual tradition here at Across the Leagues…

We love big matches. We love big prices. We crave having skin in the game when it comes to a cup final…

The Champions League 2024/25 got underway earlier this month. Bayern Munich were one of our picks (original Each Way advice here).

• After winning their opening Champions League match 9-2 (!), and with a 100% start to the season in the Bundesliga, the German league leaders make up one leg of our jumbo-odds treble today. Bayern are currently trading at 10/1…

Athletic Club have tasted success at long last – and now they want more…

In the Europa League, which starts this week with games this evening and on Thursday. Premier League sides Tottenham and Man Utd head up the outright betting, at around 5/1 each. Both are too unpredictable for me; they throw in too many bad days at the office. Roma are next in the betting at around 9/1. We’ve backed the Italians in Europe before – Roma got to the semi finals last season, and were runners-up the year before. However, a recent change of manager adds in a question mark. For a bigger price, let’s take Athletic Club Bilbao at 12/1…

As with Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena (AKA the ‘Munich Football Arena’ in UEFA’s eyes), which will host the Champions League final next May. Athletic Club also have the added incentive of getting to a final in their own ground. The 2024/25 Europa League final will take place at Bilbao’s Estadio de San Mames…

Ernesto Valverde’s side ended a 40-year silverware drought last season, winning the Copa del Rey. That domestic trophy success can help propel the Basque club to greater things in 2024/25. Athletic Club are showing positive early form in the Spanish league this term; they’ve won four of their last five La Liga games, and currently sit 3rd in the table behind Barcelona and Real Madrid (who else).

Bilbao’s magic men are the Williams brothers, Inaki and Neco. After a stellar showing for Euro 2024 winners Spain this summer, 23-year-old Neco was heavily linked with a big-money move away, but he’s signed a new contract at Athletic Club. His older brother Inaki got 12 league goals for Athletic Club last season, just two behind their top scorer, striker Gorka Guruzeta (who scored a brace last weekend).

La Liga has produced nine Europa League finalists in the last 13 seasons. Granted, five of those were wins for Sevilla. Villarreal won this cup in 2021, beating Man Utd in the final. And Athletic Club Bilbao last featured in this UEFA trophy match in 2012, losing out to Atletico Madrid in the final.

It’s also worth noting that with this season’s new format for the UEFA cup competitions, Europa League bettors no longer need to concern themselves with Champions League teams ‘dropping down’ into the second-tier event after the group stage. That concept has now been scrapped. The field is how we see it, from day one.

• Athletic Club Bilbao look to be on an upward trajectory right now. We’ll take them at 12/1 Each Way as a single for the Europa League. And add them as the middle leg of our triple-figure treble, too…

Chelsea have the firepower…

It’s not often we back out-and-out favourites. But when we’re talking about constructing a big combo, odds of 15/8 (2.88) or 7/4 (2.75) can catapult a double-odds price into a triple-figure one…

The selection for us here being Chelsea for the Conference League. The third-tier of the UEFA-cups trophy ladder is not where the 2021 and 2012 Champions League winners want to be. But here we are. And while much has been said about the Stamford Bridge club’s inflated squad size, having such a pool of international-level players to call on may come in very useful – with the Blues looking a ‘cup team’ this season…

For example, forward Christoper Nkunku got a start in the EFL Cup last night, and bagged a hat-trick. While fellow big-money signing from last summer, Nicholas Jackson, banged in a brace in the Premier League at the weekend. Add the tantalising prospect of Chelsea being able to harness the talents of Jadon Sancho and Joao Felix. And – to name just four – you can see some of the quality in Chelsea’s squad. England star and penalty-taking ‘iceman,’ Cole Palmer, has been left out of the Conference League squad, in order to manage the 22-year-old’s playing load. But Chelsea have the option to add him back in, come the knockout stage…

• We’ll include Chelsea for the Conference League as the final leg of our treble. That competition kicks-off next week…

392/1 for the mega-acca…

We’re already on Bayern Munich at 12/1 Each Way for the Champions League as a single, from the start of the campaign. If you missed that original pick, take 10/1 now.

With the Europa League getting underway this evening, and Athletic Club Bilbao playing their first match tomorrow (away at Roma). We’re backing Athletic Club at 12/1 Each Way as a standalone selection in the Outright Winner market.

And for the big one…

Adding those two in with Chelsea on the nose for the Conference League. To make up this season’s self-styled Across the Leagues, UEFA club cup competitions, win-only, ‘mega-acca’ – paying a top-price 392/1 for the treble…

Champions League – Bayern Munich

Europa League – Athletic Club Bilbao

Conference League – Chelsea

The advice here being a Trixie. That’s a multiple made up of four lines (eg. four points staked): three doubles, and the 300/1+ treble.

TODAY’S PICKS

See above for full details

Europa League 2024/25 – Outright Winner:

• Athletic Club Bilbao @ 12/1 Each Way (1/2 odds 1-2 places) Betfred, Skybet, Ladbrokes, Coral, 11/1 or 10/1 elsewhere 

Champions League, Europa League, Conference League:

• TRIXIE. Bayern Munich, Athletic Club Bilbao, Chelsea – best odds Betfred (392/1 the treble), Paddy Power, Betfair Sportsbook (378/1), Skybet (373/1), Bet365, 888 Sport (362/1), Ladbrokes, Coral (356/1), Unibet, BetUK, BetMGM, LiveScoreBet (331/1), Boylesports (329/1), William Hill, BetVictor (301/1) 

Time-saver: where possible, the bookie links above go directly to the matches/ markets in question.

I’ll be back on Friday with your weekend preview, standout stats – and our next big-odds picks…

P.S
Want to get in touch? Email me at: oliver.upstone@oxonpress.co.uk

Enjoy the football…

Best wishes,

Oliver Upstone

Across the Leagues