Sports Blog 12/04/2018: UEFA Europa League Quarter-Final 2nd Leg Preview – CSKA Moscow vs Arsenal, Thursday 12th April 2018

Will Arsenal’s Europa League trip to CSKA Moscow throw up the same insane drama as seen in the week’s Champions League fixtures?

Roma on Tuesday. Juventus very nearly on Wednesday. There’s been a precedent set this week for teams to overturn, or at least come achingly close to overturning, a 3 goal deficit, something that will provide great comfort for Thursday’s hosts.



Arsenal ran rampant in the 1st leg, the opening 45 minutes of the game seeing braces from Aaron Ramey – whose 9th minute opener was a stunner – and Alexandre Lacazette, who head to Moscow at Super Mega PGMs of 16-20 and 36-42 respectively. However, CSKA managed to nab a potentially tie-upending away goal, with Aleksandr Golovin’s 15th minute strike giving the Russians a crucial lifeline.

Before this week you’d say CSKA’s chances of reaching the semi-finals were near non-existent, but after the recent Champions League antics no result is off the table. Still, it’s going to be difficult, especially with Spreadex offering an Arsenal/CSKA Moscow (h) Goal Supremacy spread of 0.15-0.35 alongside a Total Goals spread of 2.95-3.15.

As for the other Europa League quarter-finals, there’s a chance for an upset in all of them. Tournament favourites Atletico Madrid – they sit at an Outright Index spread of 72-75 to Arsenal’s 67-70 – perhaps have the clearest route to the semis. They came away from their home leg against Sporting Lisbon with a 2-0 lead, and are expected to triumph in the return fixture, at an Atletico Madrid/Sporting Lisbon (h) Goal Supremacy spread of 0.4-0.6.

While Lazio, who are at an Outright Index of 56-59, have a similar 2 goal margin, the fact that Red Bull Salzburg picked up a pair of away goals in their 4-2 1st leg loss means the tie is far from over, especially since Spreadex are offering a Red Bull Salzburg/Lazio Goal Supremacy spread of 0.3-0.5.

Finally the tightest of the quarter-finals is likely between RB Leipzig and Marseille. The Germans picked up a 1-0 home win last week thanks to Timo Werner, who has a Super Mega PGM of 32-38, but have since then suffered a hefty 4-1 loss to Bayer Leverkusen as recent as Monday. That perhaps puts the French side in the driving seat, with Spreadex offering a Marseilla/RB Leipzig Goal Supremacy spread of 0.15-0.35.