English teams have won the Europa League in the past two seasons thanks to Tottenham and Aston Villa but the Racing Post’s Jamie Griffith believes that the Premier League’s stranglehold on the trophy will be snapped in the 2026-27 campaign.
The Premier League’s representatives are Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and Sunderland this time - teams not quite at the level of Spurs and Villa, who both went off as favourites - and the level of competition they will face from many of Europe’s elite suggests the winner is likely to come from elsewhere the continent.
Europa League Tips and Predictions
Outright Prediction: Bayer Leverkusen (9/1)
Alternative Tip: Benfica (20/1)
Dark Horse Tip: Rennes (25/1)
Opening Week Fixtures
Here are the opening week fixtures in the Europa League:
Wednesday 16th September
Omonoia v Celta Vigo
Ararat-Armenia v Sparta Prague
Olympiacos v Jagiellonia Bialystok
Anderlecht v Lyon
Bayer Leverkusen v Celje
Sunderland v AZ Alkmaar
AC Milan v Benfica
Sturm Graz v Rennes
Hapoel Be'er Sheva v Dinamo Zagreb
Thursday 17th September
Levski Sofia v RB Salzburg
OFI Crete v Hoffenheim
Celtic v Ferencvaros
Juventus v NEC Nijmegen
Viktoria Plzen v Union Saint-Gilloise
Besiktas v Marseille
Lillestrom v Torreense
Crystal Palace v Lech Poznan
Real Sociedad v Bournemouth
The most eye-catching fixture in the opening round of games is undoubtedly AC Milan’s clash with fellow giants Benfica, in which managerial compatriots Ruben Amorim and Marco Silva go head-to-head.
Sunderland’s first European game in 53 years sees them host AZ Alkmaar, while Bournemouth’s opening taste of European action involves a tricky trip to Real Sociedad.
Conference League holders Crystal Palace should find things a bit easier, opening with a home match against Lech Poznan.
Europa League Favourites
Italian giants Juventus are 7/1 favourites to win the Europa League, shortly followed by 15/2 Serie A rivals AC Milan and 2023-24 Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen (9/1).
Top Goalscorer Favourites
Data-Led Europa League Predictions & Analytics
When diving deeper into potential outcomes, advanced metrics like xGF (expected goals for) and clean sheet percentage give a more predictive edge than headline form.
Here’s what the data tells us about the leading contenders:
The two teams with the most expected goals in last season’s Europa League were both English sides, Nottingham Forest (30.1) and Aston Villa (25.1)
Only three teams conceded fewer expected goals (44.40) than Toulouse, then managed by new Leverkusen boss Carles Martinez Novell, in Ligue 1 last term
Lyon, 18/1 shots for this season’s competition, averaged the most possession (61.3 per cent) in the 2025-26 Europa League
Leon Bailey, now with 50/1 hopes Olympiacos, had the highest expected goals per 90 minutes (0.91) of any player in last season’s Europa League
Europa League Outright Prediction
While there is undoubtedly talent in Juventus’ and AC Milan’s squads, Juve manager Luciano Spalletti has never made it past the quarter-final stage of a major European competition, while Amorim’s struggles at Manchester United make his Rossoneri equally hard to trust.
Next in the betting come Bayer Leverkusen, who are worth getting behind.
In Carles Martinez Novell, they have a manager who knows how to balance possession and direct football in an effective manner, overachieving at Toulouse with such tactics.
Leverkusen also have a strong squad. Ibrahim Maza and Afonso Moreira are genuine wonderkids, the return of Moussa Diaby gives them an extra dimension on the wing, and Facundo Medina, Edmond Tapsoba and Loic Bade give them the best centre-back options of any team in the competition.
There is also the added bonus of having experienced players like Victor Boniface and Robert Andrich around, given they played key roles in Bayer’s run to the 2023-24 Europa League final, making the German giants the selection.
Alternative Tip
Although it is early days, Benfica look extremely strong under Silva.
Strong enough to suggest 20/1 is a huge price in the outright betting.
The Eagles dismantled St Gallen (6-2), Hearts (7-2) and Danish champions Aarhus (6-2) to qualify for the league phase and they have been similarly rampant in the Primeira Liga, scoring 14 goals in their opening four matches.
Their attacking options are unmatched among the Europa League contenders, too. Vangelis Pavlidis and Jhon Duran are proven goalscorers, Andreas Schjelderup and Georgiy Sudakov are top creators and Dodi Lukebakio is a classy winger.
At 20/1, Benfica with their top manager and strong squad are worth supporting.
Dark Horses to Watch
Benfica, at 20/1, could already be regarded as a dark horse, but those seeking an even bigger price should consider Rennes at 25/1.
The French side proved their ability to mix it with the best when opening their Ligue 1 campaign with a 2-2 draw with UEFA Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain and there is lots to like about them.
After appointing Franck Haise in February, Lille (27) took more points than Rennes’ 25 in Ligue 1 and they have only strengthened over the summer, bringing in top midfielder Adrien Thomasson and exciting forwards Eliezer Mayenda and Issa Soumare.
Who Wins the Europa League?
Bayer Leverkusen came extremely close to landing the Europa League as part of a treble in the 2023-24 campaign and while another Bundesliga title seems unlikely, they may make amends in this competition.
A combination of a strong squad and a talented manager often leads to success and they look a lot more settled than the majority of their rivals, most notably favourites Juventus and AC Milan.
Read more football betting tips and predictions on site.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
