UEFA Conference League: Prediction, Tips and Odds

Chelsea are UEFA Conference League outright favourites ahead of their first appearance in the competition but Racing Post's Liam Flin believes the Blues could face stiff competition from across the continent.

Like both the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League, this season's UEFA Conference League will take on a new format with 36 teams set to compete in an initial league phase before progressing to the knockout stages.

Here is a look at the sides which could go deep in this season's UEFA Conference League.

Liam Flin's UEFA Conference League outright betting tips and predictions

Fiorentina to win UEFA Conference League - 5/1

It could well be a case of third time lucky for Fiorentina in the UEFA Conference League this season.

The Serie A outfit were beaten by West Ham 2-1 in the 2022/23 final in Prague and again fell at the final hurdle last season, losing to Olympiakos after extra time in Athens.

It can be difficult to gauge how seriously teams will take the UEFA Conference League and the fact Cole Palmer was among those left out of Chelsea's squad for the league phase says a lot about how important the competition is for them.

That is just one reason to oppose Chelsea in the outright betting, the other being the fact they are taking their time to gel under Enzo Maresca.

But, with Fiorentina, punters can be confident the club will take it seriously and they will be determined to exorcise their demons of the last two campaigns.

Raffaele Palladino is now in the dugout and did an impressive job at Monza, while he has a decent squad to match the club's aspirations.

David De Gea's experience in goal could be key, while Yacine Adli, Robin Gosens and Rolando Mandragora are among the midfielders at their disposal.

Fiorentina begin the league phase with games against The New Saints, St Gallen and APOEL and look a decent price at 5/1 to go the distance.

Heidenheim to win UEFA Conference League - 16/1

Those after an outside bet in this season's UEFA Conference League should look no further than Bundesliga club Heidenheim.

Experience may be considered the team's downfall as this is their first-ever appearance in a major European competition, but that could instead work in their favour.

Hedeinheim have shown they are a club who like to defy expectations, having finished eighth in the Bundesliga last season - their first campaign at that level.

Frank Schmidt has been in charge of the club since 2007 and that consistency has helped to establish a winning mentality.

Losing top scorer Tim Kleindienst over the summer was not ideal but they have not looked fazed by that loss, winning all five of their competitive matches this term, including wins to nil against St Pauli and Augsburg in the Bundesliga before the international break.

Like Fiorentina, they can look forward to a relatively soft start in the league phase of the UEFA Conference League, with a home contest against Olimpija followed by a trip to Pafos in their first two fixtures.

Their defensive resolve will be key in the latter stages and the lack of expectation surrounding them could work in their favour, so punters should not be surprised if they outperform their odds of 16/1.

Read more football betting tips and predictions on site.

UEFA Conference League outright odds

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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.