Richard Aikman / 31 March 2010 Free Bet View Market

"Hamburg were lucky not to lose by more against Borussia Monchengladbach and can only hope that their strong home form in Europe, where they have strung together five wins and a draw in their last six matches, will continue. "

Dominique D'Onofrio knows that if fellow Belgian club Anderlecht can beat Hamburg 4-3, then his Standard Liège side are in with a shout against the Bundesliga side. "The fact Anderlecht were able to score four goals against Hamburg does say something," said D'Onofrio.

On the domestic front Standard have been nowhere near as consistent as Jupiler League leaders Anderlecht this season and Les Rouches have already been consigned to the second-tier end-of-season play-off section, but D'Onofrio is right when he says, "German teams are also known to give away a lot of space so we certainly stand a chance."

That chance is rated as [7.2], which is a highly attractive proposition considering that Standard beat Panathinaikos 3-1 in front of their notoriously raucous supporters in Athens in the last round. And if D'Onofrio has taken heart from that 4-1 aggregate win, he will also be encouraged by the loss of two key players from Hamburg's midfield.

Marcell Jansen, who had scored three Europa League goals this campaign, and Dutch international Eljero Elia have both succumbed to ankle injuries and their absence will not have been unconnected to HSV's 1-0 loss at Borussia Monchengladbach at the weekend. Hamburg were lucky not to lose by more and can only hope that their strong home form in Europe, where they have strung together five wins and a draw in their last six matches, will continue.

Another home win is available at [1.54], though the Gladbach defeat will have hit Hamburg hard, as it effectively ended their hopes of Champions League football next season, which makes the draw at [4.4] or the away win more appetising. Now Hamburg have to pick themselves up against Belgian opponents who have scored three times in each of their last two European outings in Athens and Salzburg - a record that suggests over 2.5 goals at [1.92] is possible.

But Liege are not quite the same force without their captain Steven Dufour, who was present in both those wins, and the Belgium international's buttock problem, along with the suspension of Mohamed Sarr, poses a proper pain in the backside for D'Onofrio, who has hinted that he intends to keep things tighter at the AOL Arena.

The Belgian side have improved hugely since D'Onofrio's arrival six weeks ago and their die-hard spirit was in evidence as Dieudonné Mbokani scored twice in the last two minutes to seal a 2-0 win against Charleroi at the weekend. With Hamburg likely to attack in their desperation to reach the final they host in May, plump for the nicely-priced away win.

Recommended Bets: Back Standard to win at [7.2]; Back Under 2.5 goals at [2.04].