This season, the Europa League is represented by strong clubs
Look at the current situation in the playoffs to see the main favorites
According to the UEFA rules, the second-best teams from Europa League group stage and third places in Champions League group stage must battle it out between each other who will advance to the Round of 16, where the first places of Europa League groups await. So, let’s take a look at the current situation in the 2023/24 Europa League playoffs!
2023/24 Europa League Playoffs - First Predictions
This season, the Europa League is represented by AS Roma, Rennes, SC Freiburg, Sporting, Toulouse, Qarabag, Sparta Prague, and Marseille. UCL's third places were taken by Feyenoord, AC Milan, Lens, Young Boys, Benfica, Braga, Galatasaray, and Shakhtar. What do online sportsbooks in the UK say about all these teams’ chances of winning? We’ll break down each pair to see.
Feyenoord v AS Roma
Feyenoord v AC Roma comes first. The Dutch team had a somewhat decent run in the Champions League. They accomplished their minimum which was making sure that they beat Celtic and they did. That allowed them to get transferred to Europa League. The team they got, however, is not easy to beat by any means. Mourinho's Roma is last year's finalist, and they perform fine in Serie A at the moment. On the face of it, the teams are probably evenly matched, but Roma might just get the edge over the Dutch because of Jose's genius. Verdict: Roma to advance.
AC Milan v Rennes
AC Milan got themselves a good team which should be beaten by a club of their scale. They performed alright in the "Group of death", beating PSG and Newcastle against all Betway odds. At the same time, Rennes are inconsistent.Picture Source: Wikimedia Commons They did fine in the group stage, but in Ligue 1 they have been one of the weakest teams - 16 points out of 16 games and 13th place in the league. Verdict: Milan goes further.
Lens v Freiburg
Lens at some point gave their fans hope that they can go through to the next UCL stage after winning Arsenal 2-1, but it wasn't to be. They lost all chances with a game to spare, and they now got Freiburg. The German team is in very good shape - 7th place in Bundesliga and good performances against West Ham, Olympiacos, and TSC. The German public is known to have a great impact on opposition teams, so it feels that Freiburg should make it through. Verdict: Freiburg moves to the next round.
Young Boys v Sporting
This pair is either the most boring of all or the best. It is difficult to predict who will pass the 2023/24 Europa League playoffs because none of the teams have shown entertaining football. Young Boys were doomed in their UCL group from the beginning, with teams like Man City and Leipzig. Sporting, who should've taken first place in theory, lost it to Atlanta. Verdict: Sporting makes it on penalties.
In any situation, it must be a Benfica win in both 2023/24 Europa League playoffs matches. Toulouse might have scrapped wins, including one against Liverpool (though losing previously 0-5 at Anfield), but they have very little chance against Benfica who probably think that this is a perfect time to win their first European trophy in over 60 years. The only thing that has been holding Benfica back is the infamous Bela Guttmann's curse. According to Guttmann's words, without him Benfica shall not win a European trophy in 100 years. So far, they have lost 5 UCL and 3 UEL finals, so the curse has been working. Verdict: Benfica wins.
Braga v Qarabag
This is an easy Braga win, following online gambling sites in the UK. Under no circumstances, Braga should lose their game against Qarabag. Picture Source: PexelsOtherwise, it will be a sensational advance for the Azerbaijani team. None of the teams played well in their group stage and what is more certain, none of the teams can challenge for the Europa League trophy. Verdict: Braga proceeds.
Galatasaray v Sparta Prague
This pair will be very fun to watch. Both teams' fan bases are fierce and entertaining, on the edge of violence. Surely, Galatasaray will give hell to the Czech team in the first game, but the latter will return the favour in the second one. Both teams were unlucky not to advance to UCL and UEL Round of 16 respectively and both look to be in good shape. Very difficult to predict who will edge it. Verdict: tough to predict, could be Galatasaray due to experience and the amount of star players they have.
Shakhtar v Marseilles
The last pair that will also be interesting to watch in the 2023/24 Europa League playoffs is Ukraine’s Shakhtar versus French Marseilles. Shakhtar have shown they can manage good outcomes by winning against Barcelona. Marseilles, on the other hand, are not underdogs, too. They are doing decent in Ligue 1 and barely missed out on the first place in the group to Brighton and Hove Albion. Verdict: difficult to predict, probably whoever wins the first game will advance.Read our early-bird predictions about the 2023/24 Champions League Round of 16.
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