Europa League: Stoke City vs Valencia Odds and Betting Preview

STOKE, UK - Stoke City host the third-best team in Spain this evening in the first knockout round of the Europa League as Valencia travel to the North-West of England. Valencia are slight favourites at a best price of 6/4 (bet £4 to win £6) with Blue Square and Ladbrokes to win the game tonight, with Stoke best at 11/5, only with Boylesports. Punters can get a top price of 23/10 with Betfred.

It is Stoke's first season in the Europa League and the first time they have faced Spanish opposition. They progressed through Group E of the Europa League before Christmas, past Dynamo Kiev and Maccabi Tel-Aviv. At home to Besiktas, the other side they progressed with into the knockout stages, the Potters won impressively 2-1, before beating Tel-Aviv 3-0 at home as well as drawing 1-1 with Dynamo Kiev. 

Stoke are best at 9/1 to win 1-0 tonight on Betfair only, while a 2-0 home victory is 14/1 with William Hill and a 2-1 win for the Premier League side is 13/1 on Betfair. The 1-1 draw can be backed at 6/1 with Blue Square only while a 0-0 stalemate is 9/1 with Sky Bet. 

Stoke are having an average season in the Premier League, but they have a good record against sides who are supposedly better than them in the league at home. They have taken a point off both Chelsea and Manchester United with 0-0 and 1-1 draws respectively, while they have beaten Liverpool and Spurs both at home too, 1-0 and 2-1 respectively. 

Stoke are 9/2 with William Hill only to be winning at half-time and full-time, while it is 7/1 on Betfair for the Draw/Stoke result in the same half-time/full-time result market. Draw/Draw is best at 4/1 with Bet Victor, Blue Square and Betfred. 

Valencia are having a very good season in La Liga, in third place, only eight poins behind Barcelona in second. They have a mixed away record, having lost to lower-placed Sevilla and Real Betis, both from the bottom half of the table, although they have beaten Sporting Gijon and Real Zaragoza away from home, who are both in the relegation zone. 

In the five games Stoke have played in the Europa League this season, they have conceded just three goals and scored in every one of those games. Over 2.5 goals is best at 11/10 with Stan James tonight, while you can get 8/11 with Blue Square on under 2.5 goals. 

Valencia are without a win in eight European games against English sides, having drawn four and lost four. They will face Stoke later in the month in the return leg at the Nou Mestalla, and Valencia are heavy favourites to progress from the tie at 4/9 with Stan James. Stoke are priced at 21/10 with Ladbrokes to make it into the Last 32.

Valencia are in fact one of the favourites to win the competition, having dropped out of the Champions League group stage to Chelsea and, surprisingly, Bayer Leverkusen. Valencia are best at 12/1 to win the competition, only with Blue Square, Betfred, Bet Victor and Stan James. Stoke are way back at 49/1 on Betfair, and best at 40/1 with other high-street firms. 

Match Result Odds