There is a busy night of football action on the European stage on Thursday with the first legs of the last-16 ties taking place in the Europa League and the Conference League.
Manchester United, Tottenham, Rangers and Chelsea are all in action and here are the best bets that take in the packed fixture list.
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Best football bets for Thursday
Bet of the day – Over 3.5 goals in AZ vs Tottenham @ 7/5
A Richarlison penalty was enough for Tottenham to beat AZ in the league stage, but there looks a strong chance their first-leg in the Netherlands could be much more open.
Spurs have failed to score in just one of their last eight away matches – a 4-0 League Cup semi-final defeat at Liverpool – and they have already been involved in two Europa League away games this season featuring five goals against Hoffenheim and Galatasaray.
AZ should be full of confidence having won 10 of their last 11 home games, which includes two victories over Eredivisie leaders Ajax, and that home positivity, coupled with an attacking approach from Spurs, could lead to a high-scoring game.
Special of the day – Treble: Real Sociedad, Fenerbahce & Lazio all to win @ 24/5
A treble appeals as the special bet of the day with Real Sociedad, Fenerbahce and Lazio all taken to claim first-leg leads in the Europa League.
Real Socieadad have won their last four home Europa games and represent a tough test for Manchester United, who had to settle for away draws against Fenerbahce and Porto in this competition and are still smarting from being dumped out of the FA Cup by Fulham at the weekend.
Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce are unbeaten in their last 18 matches and they should have too much for Rangers, who have lost to Queen’s Park, St Mirren and Motherwell in the last month, while Lazio have not lost any of their last five games in Serie A and will be full of confidence for their trip to Viktoria Plzen after finishing top of the league stage.
Long shot of the day – Olympiakos to win to nil vs Bodo/Glimt @ 11/2
Olympiakos are five points clear in the Greek Super League and have not been beaten in any competition since the end of October, so they shouldn’t fear a trip to Bodo/Glimt.
After losing their opening game 2-0 against Lyon, they conceded just one more goal in their seven games in the Europa League and they could be playing Bodo/Glimt at just the right time.
Their hosts have more than three weeks before their domestic season kicks into gear and they have played just five competitive games since the start of December, all in this competition.
They came through a play-off against Twente, but the Greeks’ defence could hold firm and give them a lead to take back for next week’s second leg.
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