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UEFA Europa League Betting Guide: Tips, Fixtures, and Predictions
Every year a selection of Europe’s top clubs, along with many other clubs of varying sizes and statures come together to compete for the Europa League title.
The Europa League is back underway and below is a detailed betting guide to help you through the season.
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What is the UEFA Europa League?
The UEFA Europa League is Europe’s second-tier continental competition in which teams from all over the continent compete, qualifying largely based on their domestic performance along with a host of other factors which can gain teams entry into the tournament.
Key Facts and Rules of the UEFA Europa League
Here we will take a look at the inner working of the Europa League, taking you through all the ins and outs of qualifying for the competition, how the competition actually works and the key dates for this year’s edition of the UEFA Europa League.
Where and When is the Europa League?
The UEFA Europa League 2023/24 competition began with the qualifying rounds way back on the 8th of August. The main competition began with the first round of group stage fixtures on the 21st of September.
Matches take place at the home stadiums of every team in the group stage, and the two-leg knockout matches are also hosted at the stadiums of the competing teams. The final is the only match played at a neutral venue, which for this season’s competition is the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland, where the final will be played on the 22nd of May 2024.
Criteria and format of the Europa League
The Europa League is made up of 32 teams, split between eight groups. In each group, all teams will play each other twice both home and away, with the team that finishes top of the group progressing to the round of 16. The second placed teams enter a preliminary knockout phase where they will be drawn against the eight third placed teams from the Champions League groups, playing a two-leg knockout match to decide which team progresses to the round of 16.
From there it is a standard two-leg knockout format up until the final which is one match to decide the winner of the tournament.
Important facts and rules to know about the Europa League
The Europa League follows all of FIFA’s standard rules and regulations of football.
All group stage matches are 90 minutes plus added time and can end in a draw. In the knockout stages all matches consist of two legs, and it is important to remember that the away goals rule is no longer in use.
Another important thing to remember is that if a team wins the Europa League they will automatically qualify for the group stages of next year’s Champions League.
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Teams in UEFA Europa League 2023/2024
| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D | Group E | Group F | Group G | Group H |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympiacos | AEK Athens | Aris Limassol | Atalanta | LASK | Maccabi Haifa | Roma | Bayer Leverkusen |
| SC Freiburg | Ajax | Rangers | Rakow Czestochowa | Liverpool | Panathinaikos | Servette | BK Hacken |
| TSC | Brighton | Real Betis | Sporting CP | Toulouse | Rennes | Sheriff Tiraspol | Molde |
| West Ham | Marseille | Sparta Prague | Sturm Graz | Union Saint-Gilloise | Villareal | Slavia Prague | Qarabag |
Top Teams and Players in the UEFA Europa League
There are many top teams from around Europe’s biggest league competing in this year’s Europa League, below we have highlighted the top teams and their player to watch.
Brighton – Kaoru Mitoma
Atalanta – Teun Koopmeiners
Liverpool – Mohamed Salah
Roma – Paulo Dybala
How to Bet on the UEFA Europa League
Betting on the Europa League is very similar to betting on any other football competition, with many of the same markets available.
The most popular markets include outright betting on the winner of the tournament, betting on specific match results, over/under betting on the total amount of goals in specific matches, as well as many others such as cards and group winners.
It is important to do your research before placing bets. You will want to consider a team’s form outside of the Europa League as well as their form in the competition, and their head-to-head history with the teams that they will be playing against.
It is also important to know a team’s injury and suspension record as both factors can influence the strength of the team and their chances of winning.
UEFA Europa League Fixtures and Schedule
Below are the key fixture dates for the 2023/24 Europa League season:
Group stage: 21st September 2023 – 14th December 2023
Preliminary knockout round: 15th – 22nd February 2024
Round of 16: 7th – 14th March 2024
Quarter-finals: 11th – 18th April 2024
Semi-finals: 2nd – 9th May 2024
Final: 22nd May 2024
UEFA Europa League Betting Strategies
It is important to have betting strategies to stick to in order to make sure you are making the most informed bets and this involves considering many factors.
Some of the key factors to consider are team form, home advantage, injuries and suspensions. Although it is less common in continental competitions it is also worth looking for any recent head-to-head form.
It is equally important to embrace the concept of bankroll management – allocate a specific budget for betting and adhere to it. Responsible gambling ensures a sustainable and enjoyable betting experience.
UEFA Europa League Betting Tips and Predictions
Although we are only one game into this year’s competition, Liverpool are already overwhelming favourites to lift the trophy at 3/1, and we think that even at those odds they provide good value as they are quite obviously the strongest side in the tournament.
Brighton are embarking on their first ever European adventure this year but that hasn’t held them back in the market. The Seagulls are currently the 12/1 second favourites to win the competition but they did stumble at the first hurdle in their loss to AEK Athens and we think it would be asking too much of them to compete in both the league and Europa League with their squad; steer clear.
One team which catches the eye in the market is Sporting CP who are currently 20/1, with that price presenting good each way value. Sporting reached the quarter-final last year and have a young squad of players who are only going to get better. Despite losing the likes of Manuel Ugarte to PSG over the summer, they still have players such as Marcus Edwards and Viktor Gyokeres who could see them make a deeper run this year.
It is important to remember that these tips should not be the be all and end all of your Europa League betting research and they should be supplementary to your own research to help you reach a more rounded and informed decision before placing your bets.
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UEFA Europa League Betting Promotions and Offers
Remember to keep an eye out across the site for betting promotions, offers and specials around the UEFA Europa League, especially in the lead up to Europa League match weeks.
