UEL Round of 16 Odds & Picks on August 6: Sevilla vs Roma & Wolves vs Olympiakos

• The Europa League round of 16 returns this week, with two intriguing matchups set for Thursday
• Sevilla and Roma’s first leg was canceled back in March, while Wolves and Olympiakos played to a 1-1 draw in their first meeting
• Get the odds, preview, and best bet for all of Thursday’s fixtures below

With all leagues around Europe finally done their seasons, we now look ahead to the latter stages of European competitions. In Europa, six of the second legs are set to be played this week, with 16 teams left in the tournament. Inter Milan/Getafe and Sevilla/Roma are the only exceptions, who had their first legs canceled back in March and instead will play a winner takes all fixture this week for a spot in the quarterfinals.

On Thursday, we have two very exciting clashes scheduled, with Sevilla taking on Roma and Wolves facing Greek giants Olympiakos. In other fixtures on Thursday, Bayer Leverkusen takes a comfortable 3-1 lead on aggregate into the reverse fixture against Rangers, while FC Basel holds a 3-0 advantage heading into their second leg against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Europa League Round of 16 August 6th Odds

Pick 1: Sevilla vs Roma

Two of the finest sides in La Liga and Serie A will face one another on Thursday, August 6th, kick-off 12:55 pm EST, with a spot in the final eight on the line. Due to COVID-19, Sevilla and Roma weren’t able to play the first tie, setting up a must-win fixture in Duisburg, Germany this week.

Sevilla clinched their spot in Champions League next season after finishing fourth in Spain’s top flight and enter this fixture in fine form after the conclusion of the La Liga campaign. Julen Lopetegui’s squad hasn’t lost since February 9th. That’s 17 straight games without a defeat across all competitions. They find themselves in the last 16 after advancing on away goals against Romanian side CFR Cluj in the round of 32. Sevilla finished first in Group A, going 5-0-1 in six matches. Their last fixture was on July 19th when they beat Valencia 1-0 and although Los Palanganas have had a couple of weeks off before this clash with Roma, there’s no doubt that Lopetegui’s men will be coming out in their best form considering they have looked unbeatable for the last few months here.

📽 3⃣ days until our next match in the @EuropaLeague. 🇪🇺

Come on Sevilla!!! ⚪🔴 #WeareSevilla #UEL pic.twitter.com/JntibMynKw

— Sevilla FC (@SevillaFC_ENG) August 3, 2020

Roma finished fifth in Serie A this term, securing a spot in Europa for next season once again. Although their goal was to finish in the top four, Paulo Fonseca’s side did enjoy an impressive end to the campaign, going undefeated in their last eight domestic fixtures, including a 3-1 win over Juventus on Saturday. The Giallorossi advanced to this round of Europa after beating Gent 2-1 on aggregate.

Starting the week off with hard work… 👊
#ASRoma #UEL pic.twitter.com/YkpabqUoIy

— AS Roma English (@ASRomaEN) August 3, 2020

Sevilla has won just five times in their last 12 UEFA competition matches against Italian opponents. However, Roma on the other hand, struggles against La Liga counterparts, winning just once in their last seven matches against Spanish teams and just 11 times in 34 appearances.

Given Sevilla’s outstanding form since February, I’m giving them the advantage on Thursday with a one-goal victory. It’s going to be a very entertaining match that comes down to the wire, but the Spaniards will come out on top against Roma.

Pick: Sevilla +114

Pick 2: Wolves vs Olympiakos

Wolves and Olympiakos will clash in the second leg on Thursday, August 6th, kick-off 3:00 pm EST. These two teams played to a 1-1 draw in Greece on March 12th, just before all football was postponed due to COVID-19.

Wolverhampton disappointingly finished out of the top six in the Premier League this season, with Tottenham edging them out for the last Europa League spot based on goal difference. But, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side can secure European football next season if they can win it all in August. Diogo Jota has been deadly for Wolves, netting a competition-best six times.

✅ Qualifying rounds
✅ Group stage
✅ Round of 32
🔜 Round of 16

A big week ahead.

🐺🇬🇷 pic.twitter.com/MBKInJTiS1

— Wolves (@Wolves) August 3, 2020

Olympiakos stands in their way as they look to book a ticket in the quarterfinals. Although the stands are empty, Wolves do have home advantage in the second leg.  Wolverhampton beat Espanyol 6-3 on aggregate in the round of 32 and if they can win this tie on Thursday, the English side will face the winner of Roma/Sevilla in the quarterfinals.

Greek champions Olympiakos will travel to England once again after upsetting Arsenal in the round of 32 at the Emirates back in late February. They crashed out of the Champions League in the fall after finishing behind Bayern Munich and Tottenham in the group stage, eventually joining Europa in the last 32. Their comeback victory against the Gunners was phenomenal, with Youssef El-Arabi scoring the winner in injury time to send Olympiakos through to the last 16. They’ve won two straight ties against Premier League opponents in Europe, but before that, the Greek side lost six straight against English oppositions.

Wolves know that in order to clinch a spot in Europe next season, they need to lift the trophy. With this in mind, I do believe they’re going to secure a victory in this second leg at the Molineux, with a two-goal win over Olympiakos.

Pick: Wolves -143