Europa League Futures (Knockout Rounds)

The Group Stage is over for the Europa League but before we get into the Round of 16 there are still some knockout round play-offs to be played with the group stage runner-ups and the Champions League drop downs. From this point on there will be no more clubs added to the competition so it is time to see who is a real contender to win the Europa League title as we now know the final set of teams in the tournament which include some clubs that were not there at the start of the year. With the Knockout Stage starting soon, it is time to see who has the best value to win this competition. 

Arsenal +350: Arsenal is coming in as the biggest favorite on the board to win this competition and they were one of the teams that started the year in Europa League and have come this far by winning their group which automatically sees them through to the Round of 16. They have a big advantage right now from winning their group as they do not have to play in this play-off round meaning there is less risk of getting eliminated compared to some of the other teams that have to play in this round. Arsenal has also been having a great year in their domestic league as they are currently leading the Premier League in points and have a chance to build an even larger lead over 2nd place before actually having to play another Europa League match in the Round of 16 which means they will be able to focus more on this competition if they can get a bit of a cushion now in the Premier League. Arsenal has shown all year with their performances against top clubs in the Premier League that they have the talent and they have the depth to make a deep run in this tournament and they are one of the best clubs left in the competition still. There is some value in Arsenal to win the title here as they are having a great year and will be looking to take home as many trophies as they can. 

Barcelona +450: Barcelona is entering this as the next biggest favorite on the board to win this competition but unlike Arsenal, Barcelona was not in this tournament at the beginning of the year and ended up dropping down from Champions League after some awful performances in the group stage there. Barcelona has been having a great domestic season though as they are leading La Liga right now with a big lead over the 2nd place Real Madrid and if they continue their dominance there then they will have such a big lead in the league for the title that they will be able to focus on these Europa matches with no issues. Barcelona dropped down from Champions League though which means they do not get a spot in the Round of 16 yet but instead have to earn that spot by playing a group runner-up in this play-off round. Their matchup in this round is also against Manchester United who has been having a great domestic season playing in very good form most of the year just like Barcelona. Barcelona does have one of the best squads left in the tournament with their talent and depth but they also fizzled out badly in the Champions League group stage and considering how well Man Utd has been playing this year, they have a very tough challenge here just to get out of this round and into the Round of 16. There is some value on Barcelona here as they have the team to make a deep run if they can get past Man Utd in this round but Man Utd is no push over so they also have more of a risk as well as Barcelona could be eliminated before even reaching the Round of 16. 

Manchester United +800: Man Utd is coming in as the next biggest favorite to win this competition and they are a team that did start the year in Europa League coming this far but they were not good enough in the group stage to even win their group which has now put them in this situation where they have to play in this play-off round as a group runner-up. Man Utd has been having a great domestic year as they are currently in the top 4 of the Premier League and they have a lot of talent on their team as well. They do not have a lot of squad depth though and it has really started to show recently as they are starting to pile up some injuries to key starters. This will be an issue down the line if they can make a deep run in the tournament but they also have the problem of having to play an extra match in this play-off round and they are matched up with Barcelona who is another very good club who dropped down from Champions League. It is tough to find value in Man Utd here with their injuries starting to pile up, also knowing they have to try and get through a very good club in Barcelona just to get to the Round of 16, and the road will only get harder from there. Man utd is also in the middle of a club sale this year so they were not able to do much in the transfer windows and they will be more focused on keeping their top 4 spot in the Premier League to get back into Champions League for next year and be able to buy some more talent with their new club owners in place. Man Utd has been playing very well this year and is having a great season but it is not the right situation for them this year so there is not a lot of value in them here to win this competition this year.

Juventus +1000: Juventus is coming in as the next biggest favorite on the board to win this competition and they are a team that did not start the year in Europa League but instead dropped down from Champions League after a poor run in the group stage. Juventus has been dealing with many other issues this year like their road troubles and the fact that they were in 2nd place in Serie A before receiving a 15 point deduction that now put them in the middle of the table. They have a lot of adversity to overcome this year but it is likely that they will be focused on these matches since their title hopes are dashed and they will be looking to take home a trophy still. Since Juventus did drop down from Champions league they will have to play in this play-off round, but they did get a nice matchup in Nantes who is one of the worst squads left in the tournament. Juventus should be able to get past Nantes and see themselves through to the Round of 16 but they have had a big issue in their away matches this year and scoring has been one of those issues which has also spilled into their home matches as well. They have a very good defense that will be able to carry them deep but their attack will have to pick it up eventually when the strength of opponents becomes greater the deeper they go and they will not be able to overcome those issues against some of the other teams still left. Juventus does have some value here considering they are getting an easier path and will be hungry for a trophy after what happened in Serie A, but they do not have the talent to win this competition and they will fizzle out eventually. 

Real Sociedad +1400: Real Sociedad is the next biggest favorite on the board to win this competition and they are a team that did start the year in Europa League. They have been a very dominant team in their Europa League matches all year and they even have an advantage here as they are already through to the Round of 16 since they won their group in the group stage, a group that also had Man Utd in it as well. Real Sociedad has not just been great in their Europa League matches though, they have also been having a great season in their domestic league as they currently sit in 3rd place and is easily the best team in La Liga behind Barcelona and Real Madrid this year. Real Sociedad is a team with a very good defense as they do not allow many goals in their matches and their defense has been great like this for years, but now their attack is also playing very well as they are scoring a lot of goals and taking big advantage of their home matches. They are well on their way to Champions League next year with a top 4 finish in La Liga likely to come for them and since their league is so heavily dominated by Barcelona and Real Madrid year after year, Real Sociedad will definitely be more focused on these matches as they have a better chance of winning this tournament than the actual La liga title. Real Sociedad has the squad to make a deep run in this tournament competing with anyone who comes across their path but they are also in the right situation to make a run this year and have one of the better teams in the competition. There is a lot of value in Real Sociedad to win the Europa League title here as they very well could go all the way and win it with their team.

There are quite a few teams who have the potential to make a deep run in this tournament but to win the title these clubs need to have the talent, depth, and also be in the right situation or else things can fall apart quickly. Arsenal at +350 and Barcelona at +450 have some very good value as they are both 2 of the best teams in the tournament and are in the right situations to make a deep run to win this trophy. If looking for some extra value though, Real Sociedad at +1400 has a lot of value in it since Real Sociedad is also in a great situation this year and has the team to make a deep run as they have been undervalued as a squad all year.