The Europa League is one of the most esteemed tournaments in soccer. While it doesn’t quite carry the same weight as the Champions League, the Europa League is essentially a best-of-the-rest tournament that features many of the top clubs from leagues across Europe. Every year, fans tune in to this exciting, months-long battle and cheer on their favourite clubs, and sports betting sites consistently meet fans’ needs with odds on who will win.
There are many premier clubs in this year’s iteration of the Europa League, and operators have picked their likeliest favourites as we tune into the knockout rounds of this event. For soccer fans and betting enthusiasts, there is plenty of excitement ahead. Let’s look at the six teams that operators have pegged as the likeliest candidates to win this year’s Europa League.
Liverpool
On just about all betting sites Liverpool is the clear favourite to win the tournament. It is easy to see why. Liverpool is easily the most talented club to be competing at this event. They are stacked with globally recognized players like Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez, and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Surely, a team of this calibre that is currently competing for the Premier League title would want to be playing in the Champions League. But they found themselves as the best of the bunch in the Europa League and finished atop their group. They are currently awaiting their matchup in the knockout round, but projections have them dominating the tournament.
Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen is another team that is typically in the Champions League mix. They are playing spectacularly this year and are leading the Bundesliga, ahead of even Bayern Munich. Clearly, Leverkusen is one of the top clubs in Europe right now. In the early stages of the tournament, Leverkusen asserted themselves. They won all six of their matches with a goal differential of +16. It seems this squad has a date with the late rounds of this tournament, and this might be a defining season for Leverkusen.
AC Milan
AC Milan is another highly regarded club that is appearing in the Europa League. They finished third in their Champions League group and are now receiving an opportunity in the knockout stages of this tournament. Following last year’s run to the final of the Champions League, it would be foolish to bet against AC Milan. They are a talented, poised club with some big names like Olivier Giroud and Rafael Leao. While they haven’t had an excellent season in Serie A, they are still one of the top clubs in the tournament. They will be competing against Rennes in the knockout round in what should be an exciting matchup.
Brighton
Brighton has gained the admiration of Premier League fans over the past several years. They are a team that consistently steps up, and they have shown themselves to be savvy, smart operators. They have now arrived on the global stage, and from the early looks of things, they will be a tough challenge for any clubs that face them. Brighton won their group, and oddsmakers gave them very competitive odds of making a splash in this tournament. While they have been slipping slightly in the Premier League table, they are still a highly talented club with a bright future.
Roma
Roma is one of the most recognizable clubs in Serie A. They are consistently playing at a very high level and have some excellent players like Paulo Dybala and Romelu Lukaku. This team has had a relatively significant fall from grace this season, as they are low on the totem pole of the Serie A table. But after finishing second in their group, they have made it onto the knockout rounds of the tournament. They have a matchup with Feyenoord, who they should be able to handle relatively easily. But given how Roma has performed at times this season, the oddsmakers might be leaning a little too much into reputation here.
West Ham United
West Ham United has been a steady team throughout this season, and they continue to add talent. They handled their business in the group stages of the tournament to finish at the top, and now they will proceed to the next round. West Ham is a disciplined, talented group that is one of the better teams in the Premier League. They are used to a high calibre of competition, and they have some of the best players competing in the tournament. A chance for them to win a Europa League would be a huge success for the club.
