UEFA Europa Soccer League Picks

Round 5 of the UEFA Europa Soccer League tournament starts tonight:  There are 2 soccer games in our focus to present to you - in Game 1 of our selection, Celta Vigo team (-450 or 1.22) hosts Standard Liege (1:00 p.m. EST). Celta is 3rd in the standings of their group with 5 points, and they must win this game today, in order to qualify for the next round. Standard is 2nd in the same group with also 5 points, but with better goal difference than the Spanish club. Both sides already played a game between them in round 1 and scored 2 goals in a draw: 1-1. The home team has a serious advantage, and with that I pick Celta in the Money Line (ML) with the option "Draw No Bet", i.e., if the game is tied after 90 mins., the Bet is Void. Game 2 of our selection features (3:00 p.m. EST) Saint-Etienne and Mainz 05 (-350 or 1.28 for U. 3.5). Saint-Etienne is 2nd in Group C with 8 points. Thus, if they win or get a draw, it shall be enough to go through to the next round, so they will not take big risks upfront. Mainz is 3rd in the group with only 5 points. I expect both teams to play strong defense: With that said, I pick the option "Alternative Goal Line" Under 3.5 Goals. [Unless the amount to bet is specified, our predictions, also for Parlays, are generally made for a $100 wager.]

Special Proposition: 2-team Parlay - Parlays are single wagers [of each selected game above] that are linked together, all of which must win for the Parlay to be graded as a Winner. Parlays are actually accumulators, which are widely used in popular European betting markets. In our case, the 2-team Parlay, consisting of the proposed matches, gives us the following odds: (1.22 x 1.28) = 1.56 (56% Return on Investment). If for some reason, any of the Single Bets above (participating in the Parlay) is Void, the odds would be reduced.

UPDATE November 24, 2016 - FINAL Results: Game 1 of our selection ended: Celta Vigo 1-1 Standard Liege.  Celta and Standard shared the points at Estadio de Balaídos, and both remained with 6 points in Group G behind qualified Ajax.  Goal difference currently gives Standard edge after two 1-1 draws with Celta. Our Bet was a PUSH, no loss, so it is VOID for the purpose of participating in the Parlay. In Game 2 of our selection, St. Etienne finished 0-0 with Mainz (we expected a low scoring game), a no-goal game. St. Étienne held the draw [as we said, they would play very carefully], to book place in round of 32; they are now 10 games unbeaten at home in Europe. Easy WIN for us with this pick (28% on your money is still good in today's world economy). Since one of our Bets was cancelled-VOID above, the 2-team Parlay actually became a 1-game Winner (St. Etienne draw with Mainz), therefore, we are 2-0 so far today and 1 PUSH-VOID Bet (as long as nobody loses any money, we consider our job well done!).