Which Clubs Could Shine in Europa League’s New Format?
With a new format, this season’s Europa League competition could be one to watch.
All UEFA’s continental tournaments have been given a facelift, with a new league stage having been introduced. The Europa League is no different, but it does provide some potential interesting scenarios because of the concept that has been designed.
What is the Europa League format?
Looking at the current stage and beyond for the UEFA Europa League, a new league has been created. Instead of teams playing in their own separate leagues and aiming to qualify from them, there is one league.
It’s similar to how a domestic league works, with the teams that acquire the most points finishing near the top of the table. However, the top eight teams in this competition will automatically qualify for the Round of 16 and receive a seed. This means they will begin the two-legged ties against potentially weaker competition and will have home advantage in the first game.
The teams that finish between 8th and 24th will qualify for the Europa League Knockout Playoff Phase. These teams will need to play in an additional round before the Round of 16, with the winner of the two-legged matches progressing. Clubs that finish between 9th and 16th will be seeded.
Which teams are the ones to watch in this Europa League format?
Despite the fact that the tournament has a new format, it shouldn’t make a huge difference to the chances of some clubs. For instance, the teams from England that are in the competition are always considered among the strongest, as the Premier League is widely associated with being the best competition.
Indeed, it seems the sportsbooks offering football betting markets on this competition are of that opinion. Both Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United are considered the early tournament favorites after two games. Spurs are priced at 5.00, with the Red Devils behind them on 7.00 despite having picked up two draws in their first two games.
Spanish and Italian clubs can often be considered among the strongest, making them teams to keep an eye out when participating in European competitions. The odds also reflect this, as Athletic Bilbao (10.00), AS Roma (10.00), SS Lazio (11.00) and Real Sociedad (13.00) are all believed to be the next main contenders outside of the English clubs. FC Porto are the next team from outside this region, with odds of 17.00.
Have we already seen who will win the UEFA Europa League?
Perhaps one of the best things about this year’s Europa League's new format is the way the fixtures have been scheduled.
Clubs will have to play two teams from each pot across eight games as they compete for a place that qualifies them for the next stage. This makes things more interesting than previously, as teams would play against one team from each pot except for their own.
We’ve already seen some big games take place, with Manchester United struggling against FC Porto in a clash between two Pot 1 opponents. What was perhaps more surprising was that the Red Devils had struggled against FC Twente, who are a Pot 4 team. The fact that they are considered a strong contender for the title and struggle against a team seeded as low as the Dutch side were throws open a sense of unpredictability.
Spurs are considered the favorites after a strong start, having beaten Qarabag and Ferencváros. However, both teams are expected to have been beaten given their pots (3 and 2, respectively). The real challenge may be the games against Roma and Rangers (both Pot 1). That said, they are only one of five to have won both games so far. With clubs like FCSB and Anderlecht among those, maybe we’ll see a surprising finalist and potential winner when the final is played in May at the San Mamés Stadium in Bilbao, Spain.
Still Early To Call
With another six league games still being completed before the knockout phases, it is still way too early to call.
European competition has a habit of creating surprises and shocking everyone involved. It’s perhaps wise to wait until the knockout phase before we start trying to predict who might be the winners of this competition with its new format for the first time.
14.10.2024