Europa League comes with many thrills and spills similar to that of the Champions League. 48 teams from different European countries take part in Europe’s second tier of the Champions League to vie for the ultimate prize – the trophy.
An unprecedented record was set in the final of the competition with two English teams (Arsenal and Chelsea) taking on each other in the final. That said, based on the success recorded in the competition last season, the continent will be much fancied by many pundits.
Definitely, just one team will win the Europa this season. So Cheapgoals is taking a look at the top 5 favorite teams capable of winning this season.
Arsenal (England)
The North Londoners finished as runner-up to Chelsea and will be looking forward to having a better campaign in Europe this season. Arsenal finished as winners in Group E with 11 points.
One major bane of Arsenal has been their inability to be consistent with magnificent results; the major reason Unai Emery was let go of his job after massive depreciation of the North London club.
However, Arsenal apparently can no longer make the top 4 in the EPL, but can actually make it to the group stage of next season’s Champions League provided they can win the Europa League this season. This undoubtedly will be Arsenal’s major drive to winning the Europa this season – thus making them a top favorite to clinch the trophy.
Inter Milan (Italy)
The Nerazzurri became a participant of Europa after getting knocked out of the Champions League by the collective efforts of Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona. But without mincing words, the Italian giants are also favorite to win the competition.
Antonio Conte added fresh fluid to his team in an amazing manner last month, bringing in players with pedigree utmost experience of European competition. They earmark their campaign in Europa with a 2-0 away win against Ludogorets on Thursday.
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Manchester United (England)
Just like Arsenal, United have struggled with consistency this season and may also not make it to the top 4. Hence the reason they also see Europa as a route to qualify for the Champions League. The Red Devils finished as winners in Group L with 13 points.
With the arrival of Bruno Fernandes, Manchester United are among the favorite teams to win the Europa Trophy this season. Bruno Fernandes is the competition’s second top scorer with five goals and three assists; his combination with some ‘good’ players at Manchester United can serve as another source of inspiration for the 2017 winners. They begin their knock-out campaign on Thursday night as they weathered a storm to draw 1-1 with Club Brugge, in the first leg of a balanced Europa League last-32 tie.
Gent (Belgium)
Surprisingly, Gent makes the list of teams that are capable of winning the Europa this season. Having played 6 matches in the group stage, the Belgian side garnered 12 points; with three wins and three draws to qualify at the expense of Wolfsburg, St-Éttiene and Oleksandriya.
This team full of amazing talents also has in their ranks one of the top scorers in the competition (Laurent Depoitre 4 goals and 1 assist) hence should also be considered as a top favorite.
Sevilla (Spain)
And finally, the Spanish regulars in the Europa League also deserves a place in this list. The Los Nervionenses will be looking forward to winning a record-extending sixth Europa League title.
They’ve been on the hunt for the sixth title after dominating the Europa scene between 2014 and 2016, all thanks to Unai Emery and the kind of players he paraded during that period.
Albeit the Spanish club has endured some retrogression in the competition in recent years, but only a few clubs possess their kind of pedigree in European competitions – the reason they’re rightly considered as one of the top favorites.
