Europa League Betting Picks - 12 May 2010

Ed Gallois delivers his verdict for the Europa League final and who to back on the handicap.

I’m sure you’ll agree it was nice to win – and win big – on the final weekend of the English Premier League. I tipped for us to get behind Chelsea on the handicap with everything we’ve got and the newly-crowned champions didn’t disappoint, winning by a stunning eight goals to nil. There can’t be many teams in the history of the Premiership that have finished +8 on the Asian handicap.

Didier Drogba’s sulking aside, Chelsea’s performance was a joy to watch for the neutral and it’s hard to see them not making club history and winning the Double on Saturday. I suppose the Ivorian hitman can be forgiven his temper tantrum, though, as his second-half hat-trick meant we won our Top Goalscorer bet that I tipped some weeks ago!

With the Premier League done and dusted for another season, our attention turns to the cups. First, the Europa League on Wednesday night, then the FA Cup at the weekend and finally the Champions League next week. Last but not least, we have the World Cup to look forward to in June.

EUROPA LEAGUE FINAL

Fulham vs Athletico Madrid

Fulham have been underdogs pretty much every step of the way to the Europa League final and things are no different this time around. Athletico Madrid are 11/10 to win with most bookies, while Fulham are as big as 14/5 with Betfair. That’s an odd state of affairs in my view as the match looks like a 50:50 encounter to me. In fact, if I had to mark one team down as marginal favourites it would be Fulham.

The plucky London side just don’t seem to know when they’re beaten in this competition. In the semis they came back from behind to win against highly-rated Hamburg, and who can forget their amazing earlier-round comeback against Italian giants Juventus when they turned a 4-1 deficit around? They also have a master tactician of a manger in Roy Hodgson who has been there and got the continental football t-shirt.

Make no mistake, Athletico have done very well to get to the final. It’s no easy task dumping Liverpool out of a European competition – as they did in the semis – and they look genuinely dangerous up front with Forlan spearheading their attack. They are also finalists in the prestigious Copa del Rey back in Spain, which is an impressive achievement.

But Athletico’s average La Liga position indicates they are not among the cream of Spanish football, let alone European football. Like Fulham, they have overachieved this season in cup competitions and settled for mid-table mediocrity in the league. As such, they are a team that Fulham should respect but certainly not fear.

Taking the Cottagers with a ¼ goal start at odds against appears to me a smart bet. I am only recommending a two point bet, however, as this really looks like a 50:50 tie and we don`t want to put all our eggs in one basket.

Bet 2pts on Fulham getting a ¼ goal start at 2.06 with Betfair