The Uefa Europa League has returned for another season, and this time both Man Utd and Spurs are among the favourites to lift the trophy.
The competition is bigger than ever in 2024/25, with an extra four clubs taking the total amount of teams to 36.
Each participant will play eight games – four home and four away – in the new ‘league phase’, after which the top eight will qualify directly for the round of 16.
The sides that finish between ninth and 24th will contest the knockout round play-offs, with the victors going through to the last-16. It’s straight knockout from there until the final, which is being held in Bilbao.
It’s not just silverware on offer for the teams involved, but a shot at automatic qualification for next season’s Champions League, making the stakes all the greater.
We’ve consulted the betting odds to see which clubs are the favourites to win the whole thing according to the bookmakers.
Europa League odds: Ranking the favourites to win the tournament in 2024/25
La Real have rarely made an impact in European competition, with their best run coming in 1983 when they reached the semi-finals of the European Cup. A poor start to their La Liga campaign would suggest they might be rated a little too highly by the bookies this year.
Fixtures: Nice (H), Anderlecht (A), Maccabi Tel Aviv (H), Viktoria Plzen (H), Ajax (A), Dynamo Kiev (A), Lazio (H), PAOK (A).
Europa League finalists in 2012, Athletic Club will fancy their chances of going deep in the competition this year after holding onto star winger Nico Williams in the summer. The Basque outfit have built on last season’s Copa Del Rey success with a great start to the season, as they sit third in the table after seven games.
Fixtures: Roma (H), AZ (A), Slavia Prague (A), Ludogorets (H), Elfsborg (A), Fenerbahce (H), Besiktas (H), Viktoria Plzen (A).
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So often the bridesmaid and never the bride in Europe, Roma finally got over the hump in 2022 when Jose Mourinho guided them to glory in the Europa Conference League. They have come close to success the last three times they’ve appeared in this competition, reaching the semi-finals twice and the final once, losing to Sevilla in 2023.
The season has already started in turmoil after Daniele De Rossi was sacked following no wins in their opening four Serie A matches. A comfortable 3-0 win over Udinese at the weekend could get them back on track.
Fixtures: Athletic Club (A), Elfsborg (H), Dynamo Kiev (A), Union Saint-Gilloise (H), Spurs (H), Braga (A), AZ (H), Eintracht Frankfurt (A).
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After squeaking back into Europe following their shock win over Manchester City in the FA Cup last May, Manchester United are looking to capture the trophy they won for the first time in 2017. A mixed start to the campaign has seen them pick up seven points from their opening five Premier League games.
Fixtures: Twente (H), Porto (A), Fenerbahce (A), PAOK (H), Bodo/Glimt (H), Viktoria Plzen (A), Rangers (H), FCSB (A).
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Tottenham Hotspur are two-time Uefa Cup winners, but it’s been forty years since the club lifted the famous trophy. They are parched for success and the Europa League could offer a very attainable shot at glory. The betting shops certainly think so, with Ange Postecoglou’s side given the shortest odds of going all the way. But midweek football could ask too much of a relatively thin squad.
Fixtures: Qarabag (H), Ferencvaros (A), AZ (H), Galatasaray (A), Roma (H), Rangers (A), Hoffenheim (A), Elfsborg (A).
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