Football Accumulator Tips: Back Andy Robson's Europa League four-fold at 7/1 on Thursday | OneFootball

UEFA Europa League

Fenerbahce are backed to give Mourinho something to smile about on Thursday

The Europa League returns on Thursday evening so Andy Robson makes the case for a four-fold acca that you can back at 7/1...

Leg 1 - Real Sociedad to beat Midtjylland @ 10/11

Real Sociedad had a slightly underwhelming league phase in the Europe League. They were well fancied to finish inside the top eight and secure automatic progression to the knockout stages but inconsistency resulted in a 13th-placed finish for Imanol Alguacil's side.

Real Sociedad's campaign has been shaped by this inconsistency, which is also reflected in their recent form, but back-to-back wins in their last few games have changed this picture slightly. They enter this tie with plenty of confidence.

The Basques have been stronger at home this campaign but face a Midtjylland side at a slight disadvantage as they haven't been playing regular competitive football of late. Their last competitive game took place on 30 January in a 2-2 draw with Fenerbahce, so it's likely that the Danish side are lacking match sharpness.

Midtjylland finished 20th in the league phase, only qualifying for the playoffs by one point as part of a congested group of teams at the bottom of the Europa League phase table. They've struggled at home in Europe this season, winning just one of their four games on home turf this campaign and only managing to score five goals.

Real Sociedad should have the upper hand in this first-leg tie with more match sharpness than their opponents and a higher level of quality as shown by the league finishes of these sides.

Leg 2 - Fenerbahce to beat Anderlecht @ [2/5 ]

Jose Mourinho has made his side very difficult to beat at home, they've won nine of their 10 home games in the Turkish Super Lig this season and only one of the four they've played at home in Europe this campaign. This positive home form is a characteristic of Mourinho's style. He creates an 'us against them' narrative which is very useful in helping his side get over the line in their home games.

Recent form also favours Fenerbahce here, with the Turkish outfit unbeaten across their last 12 games in all competitions. They managed to win nine of these games so they enter this tie with plenty of momentum. By contrast, Anderlecht have stumbled recently after a promising start to their Europa League campaign. David Hubert's side have only managed to win two of their last five games across all competitions, a run which includes a 4-3 loss to Hoffenheim at home. That result ultimately cost Anderlecht a chance at progressing directly to the knockout stages.

The league finishes of these sides aren't totally reflective of the current state of play as they enter this tie. Fenerbahce enter this tie with far more confidence and momentum and will fancy their chances of establishing a healthy first-leg lead which they can protect in the away leg of this tie in a classic Jose Mourinho performance over two legs.

Leg 3 - Back PAOK to beat FCSB @ 8/13

There isn't much at all to separate these sides aside from the league finish of FCSB who finished 11 places above their opponents but this lead only translates to a four-point difference which is an example of how the league table can be deceiving.

PAOK's best performances in Europe this season have come on home territory. Two of their three wins have come at home and they've scored six more goals and conceded four fewer goals compared to their away performances in the competition.

Inconsistency away from home has been their downfall in Europe this season and it could well cost them over two legs here. But they can likely take an advantage into the second leg with PAOK well aware of their struggles on the road in the Europa League this season.

FCSB punched well above their weight in the league phase, finishing above the likes of Galatasaray, Ajax, and Roma with the Romanian side only being denied automatic progression to the next round by goal difference. They've conceded double the number of goals in their games away from home in Europe compared to their home fixtures. This is something that will offer encouragement to PAOK who should put in a solid performance to get a slender advantage in this first leg tie.

Leg 4 - Back FC Twente to beat Bodo Glimt @ 5/6

FC Twente have proven very difficult to beat at home this season, only PSV and Ajax boast better home records in the Eredivisie than FC Twente who are yet to lose domestically on home ground. They've won six of their nine league games at home this season, scoring 23 goals in the process and only conceding eight.

This solidity and free-scoring nature hasn't quite translated across to their performances at home in Europe with just one win from their four games but this is something that they're improving on. FC Twente have won each of their last two games in the Europa League after failing to win any of the previous six, this late comeback helped them to squeeze into the playoff spots but shows they've found their feet in Europe after a shaky start.

Bodo Glimt are by no means a pushover, they finished ninth in the league table, only missing out on automatic progression to the next round due to goal difference. However, match sharpness could be an issue for Bodo Glimt, especially when considering that they're having to travel to a side with one of the best defensive records in the Eredivisie. Their last competitive game was on 30th January so the Dutch side will have that slight advantage in this encounter.

Head over to Andy's Bet Club for more expert tips and football betting predictions for this weekend's action across the Premier League, EFL, and European leagues. As well as highly researched football predictions, you can take advantage of my football cheat sheets for free - the perfect tool to use when crafting your weekend bet builders.

Recommended bets