S.P.Read Esq: Astra Giurgiu v West Ham

Our daily columnist and pundit S.P. Read Esq. looks ahead to the Europa League match at 7pm tonight between ASTRA GIURGIU v WEST HAM and finds the best opportunities available on Star Spreads, the home of sports spread betting.

It’s hard to see that tonight’s Europa League qualifiers for Southampton and West Ham are anything other than an unwelcome distraction ahead of the big kick off this weekend.

Both teams are not in action until Sunday but have away games to prepare for at the start of the new season:

• Arsenal v West Ham
• Newcastle v Southampton

In terms of the matches tonight Astra Giurgiu v West Ham looks the most interesting from a punting perspective as Southampton already hold a 3-0 first leg lead against Vitesse and surely shouldn’t need to come out of second gear to qualify.

It’s a totally different scenario for West Ham who let a 2-0 lead over Astra Giurgiu slip and now face a tricky second leg against the Romanians with the score poised at 2-2 (KO 7pm BT Sport Europe).

West Ham are already bottom of the new Premier League table (OK it’s alphabetical so I MIGHT be being unfair !!) but a loss tonight, having led 2-0 in the first leg, is hardly going to put Slaven Bilic’s side in the best of spirits ahead of their trip to the Emirates on Sunday.

Not surprising then to learn that Bilic has prioritised Sunday’s match ahead of this second leg almost to the extent (reading between the lines) that he has written their chances off.

He has named a squad of mostly second-string players for tonight’s match with the only first team regulars to travel to Romania being Carl Jenkinson and Kevin Nolan.

Bilic said: “We have come here with a good team that I have a strong belief in. We want to win every game and it is a risk, but I am taking that risk because of the bigger picture.”

Sorry, but I’m not buying that as a punter. Astra Giurgiu were West Ham’s equal at Upton Park and now with home advantage the recommendation is a buy on the superiority index on Star Spreads.

CLICK FOR ASTRA GIURGIU v WEST HAM MARKETS ON STAR SPREADS

RECOMMENDED BETS (scale 1-100 points)

BUY ASTRA GIURGIU / WEST HAM for 20 points at around 0.2 GOALS with STAR SPREADS

• Any spread prices quoted are indicative and as always prices are subject to fluctuation.
• Please note the opinion, views and forecasts above are of the author and not of Star Spreads.