Odds to Win 2019-20 Europa League: Manchester United Leads Pack

A berth in the UEFA Europa League served as a consolation prize for Manchester United after stumbling to a sixth-place finish on the Premier League table last spring. However, the club enters the new season amid renewed expectations after going undefeated in five offseason competitions and sits at +600 on the odds to win the 2019-20 Europa League at  Bovada.

The Red Devils squandered a golden opportunity last spring to finish above the line on the EPL table and punch their ticket to the UEFA Champions League for a fourth time in five years. The club mustered just two total points over its final five league matches to finish the campaign in sixth place, five points back of fourth-place Tottenham Hotspur.

However, the club took steps to bolster the lineup over the summer, most notably by obtaining right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka in a transfer with Crystal Palace. That move has produced immediate dividends, with the 21-year-old impressing with strong defensive play during the team’s 5-0-0 run in offseason competition.

Winners of the 2017 Europa League, the Red Devils are also expected to make strides in the upcoming Premier League campaign, earning the club strong +110 odds to finish above the line and among the top four on the table.

Arsenal a Close Second in Europa League Odds

However, the team is expected to face a stiff challenge from EPL rival Arsenal FC, sitting just behind them on the Europa League futures at +700, followed by Italian side SS Lazio at +900, while Spain’s Sevilla FC is a step back at +1200.

The Gunners reached the Europa League final for the first time since 2000 this past spring, falling 4-1 to Chelsea FC, and return this season after falling one point short of a Champions League berth and settling for a fifth-place finish on the EPL table.

Lazio endured a disappointing season in Serie A play in 2018-19, posting just three victories over its final 10 matches to finish the campaign in eighth place on the league table, a full 10 points back of Inter Milan in the hunt for a Champions League berth. However, the Biancocelesti rose to the occasion in the Coppa Italia, marching undefeated through last season’s competition to claim a Europa League berth as a national cup winner.

Sevilla has been Dominant Force in UEL

Like the Red Devils, a late-season slide spoiled Sevilla’s bid to return to the Champions League for a third time in four years. The club went 2-1-3 in its final six league outings to finish in sixth place, just two points back of fourth-place Valencia on the La Liga table. In addition, Sevilla saw its Europa League season abruptly end with a third-round ouster last season, but has otherwise been dominant when competing in the UEL, claiming the championship in its previous three appearances.

Further down the Europa League championship odds, AS Roma leads the middle of the pack at +1600, ahead of Spain’s Getafe CF, which joins the Wolverhampton Wanderers at +2000, and Borussia Mönchengladbach at +2500, while VfL Wolfsburg, Sporting CP and Eintracht Frankfurt sit deadlocked at +3300.

UCL Club Favored to Win Europa League

But while the current Europa League futures represent a who’s who of European club soccer’s middle class, oddsmakers expect this season’s Europa League champion to come from the ranks of this season’s Champions League, with +300 odds favoring any UCL club going on to lift the Europa League trophy.

Squads winning the Europa League after being bounced from Champions League competition is nothing new. Two of the past four Europa League winners began their seasons in the Champions League, including Atletico Madrid, which marched undefeated to the 2018 UEL title after being eliminated from the Champions League group stage.

In addition, all but one of the past seven Europa League finals has featured a side that began its season in the Champions League.