4 months ago
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It's a relatively quiet day of football on Thursday with no action in England or Scotland, but there are plenty of cup fixtures being played across Europe.
For today's tips, we're heading to the knockout action in France, Portugal and the Netherlands as teams across the continent chase trophies.
Bet of the day
Monaco -2 on 3-way handicap v Rouen - 19/10
The final game of the round of 16 in the Coupe de France, or French Cup, sees Ligue 1 Monaco heading to Rouen, who play in National 1, the third tier of French football.
The home fans will be eyeing up another upset after Rouen eliminated top-flight team Toulouse after a penalty shootout in the previous round, but they should find that mighty Monaco are too strong for them.
Perhaps distracted by their cup win, Rouen have lost their last two league games to teams below them in the table in Nimes and Versailles and they are seventh in the standings. The home loss to Versailles was particularly poor as the visitors had come in on a four-game losing streak.
In contrast, Monaco are shaping up well enough in Ligue 1 and are in fifth place despite being held to draws by Marseille and Le Havre in their last two league games. They are the second-highest scorers in the division with 37 goals in 20 matches, behind only leaders PSG, and should have the firepower to pull clear of their hosts for a wide-margin win.
Monaco won 3-1 at Ligue 2 side Rodez in the previous round thanks to a hat-trick from Wissam Ben Yedder and should be able to do even better against a team from the division below that.
Monaco -2 on the handicap, which means the bet wins if they win by three goals or more, looks an attractive wager at 19/10.
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Special of the day
Bet Builder - Benfica to Win, Over 3.5 goals v FC Vizela - 19/10
The Taca de Portugal, or Portuguese Cup, is at a more advanced stage and the later of Thursday's two quarter-finals features the teams at the top and bottom of the Primeira Liga, Benfica and FC Vizela.
Vizela finished in their highest-ever position in the Portuguese top flight last season, coming 11th of the 18 teams, but this year they are rock-bottom with only two wins in 20 league games.
Their last league success was in early November and they have lost their last four Primeira Liga outings, conceding 15 goals in those games.
Benfica, in contrast, are top of the table and locked in a title battle with Sporting having lost only once in their 20 league games. The Eagles have won 10 of their last 11 games in all competitions. The exception was a defeat on penalties against Estoril in the League Cup after a 1-1 draw, so they will be motivated to avoid another upset.
The current Portuguese champions have not won this competition since 2017, but they have been handed a golden opportunity to reach the two-legged semi-finals.
Benfica have scored 19 goals in their last six league games and should record a victory in a game with over 3.5 goals given their firepower and the home side's shaky defence.
Long shot of the day
Groningen to beat Fortuna Sittard 2-0 - 12/1
Groningen take on Fortuna Sittard in the last quarter-final of the Dutch Cup, or KNVB Beker, on Thursday and the home team are in the kind of form to cause an upset.
The hosts play in the Dutch second tier, the Eerste Divisie, and have been in fine form, with the 1-0 loss to promotion rivals Dordrecht in their most recent game being their first competitive defeat for 14 matches.
They have won five straight home games, scoring at least two goals in each match, and they will be looking to take advantage of the Eredivisie team's poor record on the road.
Fortuna Sittard are a solid-enough 10th in the top flight, but only one of their six league wins has been secured away from home.
That 1-0 success at struggling Volendam was just the fifth goal they had scored in 10 league away games.
If their issues in front of goal continue, then a bet on the home team winning 2-0 at 12/1 could provide some value.
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