The draw for the Europa League group stage has been made, with Liverpool favourites to lift the trophy at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin next May.

Jurgen Klopp's side, who finished fifth in the Premier League last season, are 4/1 to outclass their rivals in the Europa League while European newcomers Brighton are 14/1 to win the competition at the first attempt in 2023/24.  

The Seagulls face some far more experienced continental campaigners in Group B, taking on Ajax, Marseille and AEK Athens, but Liverpool can have few complaints about their Group E draw alongside Union Saint Gilloise, Toulouse and LASK Linz. 

West Ham, who won a dramatic Europa Conference League final against Fiorentina last season, are the third representatives from the Premier League and the Hammers are 20/1 to claim back-to-back European titles.  

Rangers, thumped 7-3 on aggregate by PSV in their Champions League playoff, face Real Betis, Sparta Prague and Aris Limassol in Group C. The Gers lost to Eintracht Frankfurt on penalties in the 2021/22 Europa League final and are 66/1 to go one better this time around. 

What	Europa League
Where	Europe
When	Thursday 21st September 2023 - Saturday 22nd May 2024
How to watch	TNT Sports
Odds	Liverpool 4/1, Brighton 14/1, Villarreal 16/1, Roma 16/1, Real Betis 16/1, West Ham 20/1

Klopp's men look a cut above group rivals 

Liverpool have had great success in the Champions League recently, reaching the final in three of the past six years and winning the trophy in 2019, but this season they find themselves in the Europa League. 

The competition becomes more fierce after the group stage, when the third-placed teams from the eight Champions League sections drop into the Europa League, but at this point of the season the Reds are rated a cut above their rivals. 

Liverpool, who lost 3-1 to Sevilla in the 2015/16 Europa League final, are 4/1 to win the competition and they are expected to ease past Group E challengers LASK Linz, Union Saint Gilloise and Toulouse.  

The Reds are 1/6 to top the group with Toulouse 8/1 and Union Saint Gilloise, who reached last season's quarter-finals but sold star striker Victor Boniface to Bayer Leverkusen over the summer, priced at 9/1. 

Seagulls mixing in good company on European debut 

Brighton supporters have been waiting a long time for a continental tour and the Seagulls are 11/10 to see off their main Group B rivals, and former European champions, 15/8 Marseille and 7/2 Ajax.  

Seagulls boss Roberto De Zerbi was in charge of Shakhtar Donetsk in the 2021/22 Champions League group stage, holding Inter Milan to a 0-0 draw and only losing 2-1 away to Real Madrid, and an exciting Europa League campaign is expected for his Brighton side. 

Marseille, with former Arsenal and Chelsea striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang up front, lost to Panathinaikos in the Champions League playoff round while Ajax finished a distant third to champions Feyenoord in last season's Eredivisie.

Hammers hoping for another epic run 

West Ham enjoyed an epic European campaign in 2022/23, playing 15 matches on their way to Europa Conference League glory, and they are 10/11 to top Group A of the Europa League.  

Freiburg, who finished fifth in the Bundesliga last term but lost to Juventus in the last 16 of the Europa League, are the main dangers to the Hammers at 9/4. 

Rangers are 10/3 to win Group C with Real Betis 8/15. La Liga side Real Betis, managed by former Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini, won five of their six group games in this competition last season before a 5-1 aggregate defeat to Manchester United in the round of 16. 

Mourinho and Lukaku target European success 

Jose Mourinho's Roma lost on penalties to Sevilla in last season's Europa League final, having won the inaugural Conference League in 2021/22. 

The Serie A side, who have signed Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku on a season-long loan, are 1/4 to top Group G ahead of Slavia Prague, Servette and Sheriff Tiraspol. 

Group D is expected to be a battle between 1/1 Atalanta and 11/8 Sporting, who knocked Arsenal out of the Europa League on penalties last term, while Villarreal and Bayer Leverkusen are favourites for Groups F and H respectively. 

Group stage draw

Group A: West Ham, Olympiakos, Freiburg, TSC Backa Topola

Group B: Ajax, Marseille, Brighton, AEK Athens

Group C: Rangers, Real Betis, Sparta Prague, Aris Limassol

Group D: Atalanta, Sporting, Sturm Graz, Rakow Czestochowa

Group E: Liverpool, LASK Linz, Union Saint Gilloise, Toulouse

Group F: Villarreal, Rennes, Maccabi Haifa, Panathinaikos

Group G: Roma, Slavia Prague, Sheriff Tiraspol, Servette

Group H: Bayer Leverkusen, FK Qarabag, Molde, BK Hacken

Europa League: Date, history, teams & betting odds

The Europa League is the secondary competition in European club football, with plenty of big teams battling it out for continental glory each season.

The competition was founded in 1971 under the guise of the UEFA Cup, replacing the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup and has been known as the Europa League since 2009/10.

What is the Europa League?

The Europa League is a club competition hosted annually and it sits under the Champions League in terms of prestige.

It affords teams that aren't competing at the very highest level in their respective European domestic leagues an opportunity to still be involved in European competition.

The competition sits above the recently founded Europa Conference League with 58 teams involved over the course of the campaign.

It takes place on Thursday nights, with the third qualifying round starting on 10th August and the final of the competition taking place on 22nd May 2024. 

When was the Europa League introduced?

The competition started in 1971 under the name of the UEFA Cup, replacing the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, and it was a third-tier competition until 1999 when the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was discontinued.

In 1999, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was merged with the UEFA Cup.

The 2009/10 edition saw it rebranded as the Europa League, merging with the UEFA Intertoto Cup, and there was a change in format.

What is the format of the Europa League?

The 2023/24 Europa League is the 53rd edition of Europe's secondary club football competition and the 16th since it was renamed. 

This season's competition will be the last time that 32 teams participate in the group stage.

In previous seasons, teams finishing third in their Champions League groups would drop into the Europa League for the knockout phase. However, the change in format means that won't be the case.

The competition begins with three rounds of qualifying and then a play-off round before it enters the group stage.

There are eight groups of four with the top two sides advancing through to the knockout phase.

Those remaining clubs battle it out in two-legged ties in the last-16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.

Can I watch the Europa League on television?

Yes. The Europa League will be available to watch on TNT Sports, formerly known as BT Sport.

Who are the most successful team in Europa League history?

Sevilla have won the most titles in the history of either the UEFA Cup or Europa League.

The Spanish outfit won their seventh trophy in 2023 with their first victorious campaign arriving back in 2006.

They won the tournament on three successive occasions between 2014 and 2016.

Inter Milan, Liverpool, Juventus and Atletico Madrid have each won the competition on three occasions.

Tottenham were the inaugural winners of the UEFA Cup, beating Wolves 3-2 on aggregate over a two-legged final in 1972.

Spain, thanks largely to the exploits of Sevilla, has been the most successful nation in the competition, winning 14 editions and finishing runner-up five times.

England and Italy are tied-second for titles with each nation winning the competition nine times and having a runner-up on eight occasions.