|
The Europa League is set up a tad differently then the Champions League and instead of being filled with some of
Europe's finest teams, it is instead seen as an opportunity for some of the lesser known sides around Europe to
make a name for themselves, just like Shakhtar Donestk of Ukraine did last season in winning the very last UEFA
Cup.
However, although the likes of Liverpool and Real Madrid rarely venture into this tournament, they can drop down
into the competition prior to failing to qualify past the Champions League groups. That does happen on occasions
with Werder Bremen and Marseille two of the the more high profile teams to drop down into the UEFA Cup last season.
Brief History
To keep it brief, there is no history for the Europa League. It was formerly known as the UEFA Cup but is has
undergone somewhat of a makeover with UEFA now deciding to name the competition 'The Europa League'. Why this
has come about, we aren't really sure. However, although this years winners will be the first ever side to win '
The Europe League', it's worth mentioning that Juventus, Inter Milan and Liverpool all share the honour of winning
the tournament the most amount of times with all three sides claiming three UEFA Cups. You will have noticed two
Italian teams there and the country have produced nine UEFA Cup winners. Both Germany and England follow suit
with six.
Shakhtar Donestk have the honour and the record of winning the very last UEFA Cup. Their 2-1 victory over German
side Werder Bremen meant they took home the retired trophy for keeps. That was the first time a Ukrainian side
has won the competition and they are big odds to match that feat this year.
Take Your Pick
The UEFA Cup, or the Europa League as it's now known, is famous for producing surprise winners. Shakhtar Donestk
weren't touted as serious contenders but they defied the odds to win last seasons competition. Seville and
Middlesborough contested a rather one-sided final back in 2006 with Seville coming out on top in a surprising
final line up while Russian side Zenit St. Petersburg surprised everyone when they came right out of the blue to
snatch the final away from Scottish hopefuls Rangers in a dramatic final back in 2008.
This years competition should be no different but the main factor for it's famous unpredictability is the fact
that some sides drop down from the Champions League once the groups have been finalised. That leaves many
punters a tad wary as any number of big sides could jump down into the Europa League and spoil the party. Werder
Bremen did so last season and they went on to make the final itself.
Set Up
Qualifying for the group stages of The Europa League is a lot harder then some may think. For the superior
nations around Europe like England and Spain, they will go straight through to the Play-Offs. At this stage they
will have to compete against potentially a very tricky opponent in which they must win over two legs to book
their place in the one of the 12 groups available.
Their will be 12 groups, each group will consist of four sides. The sides involved will have to play each team in
their group twice, home and away. This means they will play a total of six games overall in the group. Whichever
two teams have the most points by the end of match day 6, will qualify for the knock-out stage of the competition.
Just like the Champions League, this is the stage where the Europa League gets interesting. Not only will the
sides who came through the groups now have to face one another, but they could also face a few of the teams who
dropped out of the Champions League. The team that finishes third in each of the groups in the Champions League
will then enter into the knock-out stage of The Europa League.
The drawn for the knock-out will be on 18th December this year. Here the teams still involved will now know who
they need to beat in order to progress further into the competition. The sides drawn will then have to battle it
out over two legs, one match will be played at home while the other will be played at the opponents venue.
Europa League Outright
Unlike the Champions League, the outright market is wide open in terms of who the bookies think might win it.
This is mainly down to the fact that the Champions League will field a few contenders once the groups are done
and dusted. However, even with that in mind, the very beginning of the tournament is probably the best time to
get on any side as their price will be very generous.
You will also find a few past greats in this years competition. Roma, Lazio, Villarreal, Valencia and last seasons
runners-up - Werder Bremen could all feature in this years showcase. However, another massive difference from the
Champions League is that the teams that qualified for this competition via the league will still have to play a
play-off match just to make the group stage. That means there is no guaranteed sides in the competition thus far.
Roma - 14/1 Bet365
Villarreal - 14/1 PaddyPower
Werder Bremen - 16/1 SportingBet
Everton - 20/1 BetFred
Zenit St. Petersburg - 20/1 SkyBet
Hamburg - 20/1 PaddyPower
22/1 Bar The Rest
Europa League Participants
Play-Off Round: (consists of 76 teams)
Everton - England V Trabzonspor - Turkey
Aston Villa - England
Vorskla Poltava - Ukraine
Villarreal - Spain
Valencia - Spain V Racing Genk - Belgium
Lazio - Italy V AEK Athens - Greece
Genoa - Italy
Teplice - Czech Republic
Guingamp - France
Toulouse - France V Sion - Switzerland
Werder Bremen - Germany V Litex Lovech - Bulgaria
Hertha Berlin - Germany
Amkar Perm - Russia
Zenit St. Petersburg - Russia
CFR Cluj - Romania
Dinamo Bucharest - Romania
Benfica - Portugal
Nacional - Portugal
Heerenveen - Holland
Ajax - Holland
Hearts - Scotland
Betting Advice
Group Stage:
Squads - Ensure you check the squads of the teams you're considering betting on. A team can register a
maximum of 25 players but bear in mind that players who have already competed in the early qualifying rounds
of the competition will be ineligible to play.
Availability - Keep yourself updated with team news. Injuries are part of the game but ensure you stay one
step ahead with the injury news before betting on any CL game. Also, suspensions. If a player receives two yellow
cards in the group stages then he will miss the next game. If a player receives a red card then they will miss
the following three matches. However, once the group stages are over. All yellow cards are wiped clear.
Situation - When betting on teams playing group matches, make sure you do your homework in regards to the
teams group standing. This is extremely important when the groups are coming to a close as some teams may need a
specific result in order to guarantee themselves a place in the next round.
Domestically preoccupied - To many clubs, the Champions League will be the main priorty for the season.
However, if life back in their domestic league isn't going too well then you may well see some sides reverting
back to concentrating on league fixtures. Make sure you always keep one eye on the teams respective leagues.
You should also take an interest in their recent fixtures. If they've played just a few days ago in the league
then they may still be a bit tired.
Remember, every side has both league and cup competitions to contend with. The Europa League isn't held in as
high regard as the Champions League is so don't be surprised to see a few sides fielding a slightly weakened
side if they have other priorities, especially at the latter end of the season where teams can be competing in
several big games in a short period of time.
Venues - Home advantage is crucial in Europe. This is especially the case for some of the newer sides in
the competition. The big names don't like travelling to unknown territory. Some crowds can be very hostile and
this can intimidate some players. Country's like Turkey are well known for their hostile atmospheres so be
careful when backing a side on their travels.
Knock-out:
Suspensions - Just two yellow cards is enough to miss the next game. Make sure you check each team for any
suspensions or players currently on one yellow card. Players who have already received a yellow card in a
previous match will be a lot more cautious when approaching tackles.
Away Goals - Remember that if the match is level at the two legs have been played, it will go down to away
goals. Away goals count for double once the last 16 commences so expect a lot of tactics involving goals scored
away from home
Situation - Analyse what result both sides need in order to progress further into the competition. If
Everton hold a 1-0 lead over Roma then David Moyes of Everton may set his side up to defend the 1-0 lead in
the second half. Whereas Roma will need to start the game in an attacking attitude in order to get back on
level terms. You will need to weigh up what both sides need to do and whether they have the quality to do so.
Back to the Betting Articles Section
|
More Resources
