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Basle's extra-curricular activities a distraction

DOES anyone else get badly distracted while they're trying to do their Europa League research?

It usually happens in the qualifying rounds, when I'm attempting to work out if the cash injection in the Bulgarian league is likely to make their teams significantly better this season.

Today it happened in the quarter-finals though, when I was looking into Basle, a team I thought I knew quite well.

I was trying to work out why they had taken part in an event called the Swiss Open last month, at such a key stage of the season.

I fancied Basle at first but was considering backing Valencia on this basis.

It turned out that I was looking at the wrong sport and the Swiss Open was actually Sepaktakraw, otherwise known as kick volleyball. It's popular in Thailand and Malaysia apparently.

The aim of the game is to kick the ball over a net as stylishly and artfully as possible, although confusingly there often isn't actually an opposing side.

Maybe Arsene Wenger should try managing a team.

Anyway, once I was back to my Basle research I couldn't see anything to convince me that Valencia, who trail 3-0 from the first leg, were a big price.

They're rarely pushovers at the Mestalla but have been far weaker at home this season and I fancy the Swiss side to get a draw.

The only thing that can scupper it is if their players are Sepaktakraw part-timers.

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