Europa League Picks - 14 September 2011

Rob Alexander picks out some value bets from the first match day of the Europa League group stage

The first rounds of the Europa League group stage kicks off on Thursday with all 48 sides in action. There are plenty of matches to find some decent bets and many matches to avoid as well.

The main story surrounding the Europa League this season is FC Sion's elimination due to fielding illegible players in their qualifying victory over Celtic, who have replaced the Swiss side and play Atlético Madrid in the Spanish capital.

There are four English sides in the group stages, with Tottenham Hotspur, Fulham and Stoke City representing the Premier League, while Birmingham City currently play their league matches in the The Championship.

Shamrock Rovers are the first ever club to represent the Republic of Ireland in the group stages of any of the two major European club competitions after beating Partizan Belgrade 2-1 (after extra-time) in the qualifying play offs. Their reward for such an incredible feat is a very tough group with Tottenham Hotspur, Rubin Kazan and PAOK.

There are certainly a lot of matches to choose from, that's why I'm making three picks and will try to keep that up as the Europa League group stage goes on.

Europa League Picks

Slovan Bratislava v Athletic Bilbao

This match may seem an odd choice to some as Athletic Bilbao are clearly a superior side but lesser Spanish sides tend to travel very poorly and the Slovakian champions are clearly not a bad side at all.

Slovan Bratislava are the only side from the Slovakian domestic league to have players representing the national side, which highlights well their decent quality. They will clearly have to up their game to overcome the Spanish side, but have enough quality to cause some problems.

Obviously Athletic Bilbao have quality all over the park and in Fernando Llorente the Basque side have an aruguably world class striker who is capable of scoring 20 goals a season in La Liga and competing for a place in one of the best international sides ever.

Despite having my worries about Bilbao's ability to get a result on the road, I'm backing Llorente and co to get their campaign underway with a good away win.

Bet 1 point on Athletic Bilbao -0.75 at 2.67 with bet365.

AZ Alkmaar v Malmo FF

Dutch side AZ take on Swedish champions Malmo FF in an interesting tie at AFAS Stadion to open Group G.

AZ Alkmaar clearly have the upper hand in terms of quality and home advantage but the Swedes will have some confidence of getting a good result away from home after their good performance against Scottish champions Rangers in Champions League qualifying.

AZ's USA forward Jozy Altidore is in good form at the moment with five goals in six games for the Dutch side, and in Roy Beerens he has a good foil to make a young, exciting forward line.

Malmo's Daniel Larsson is not a heavy goalscorer up front for his side but his creativity and pace will help the Swedes hit AZ Alkmaar on the counter attack in what could be a fascinating tactical battle.

I do fancy AZ Alkmaar to win the match, but I think Malmo FF will be solid enough not to be in the end of a hammering and I'm backing them with a decent head start.

Bet 2 points on Malmo FF +1.25 at 2.15 with bet365.

Dynamo Kiev v Stoke City

My final pick of the week sees Stoke City make the daunting trip to Kiev to take on European regulars and one of the most recognisable names in European football, Dynamo Kiev.

Stoke City have made some big name signings in the summer, including Peter Crouch, Matthew Upson and Jonathan Woodgate so they certainly seem to have a squad with enough quality to compete in the Premier League and in Europe.

I do feel however, that Dynamo Kiev's experience and the unique atmosphere at the Lobanovskyi Stadium will be too much for the still inexperienced Stoke City team. The Potters will clearly have a lot of work to do to contain the Ukranian side and I am doubtful of their ability to do so under intense pressure.

Clearly an away trip to eastern Europe is never going to be easy and Dynamo Kiev are nearly always heavy favourites at home unless a side like Barcelona or Manchester United are the visitors. Stoke City could not have asked for a much tougher opener in the Europa League if they tried.

Dynamo Kiev are yet to lose a match this season in the Ukranian Premier League and have won four out of five at home, conceding one goal. That record will mean the hosts are full of confidence going into the match against Stoke City. The visiting side may even go into the match with a very defensive attitude considering their underdog status.

Obviously it is a gamble betting against a Premier League side who clearly have the players to cause any side problems, but at this stage in the competition and considering the match I feel it is a worthwhile gamble.

Bet 2 points on Dynamo Kiev -1 at 2.37 with bet365.