Europa League Odds Favor Arsenal & Man Utd Following Group Stage Draw
By Gary Gowers in Soccer News
Published:
- The draw for the group stages of the 2022-23 UEFA Europa League has just been made
- Arsenal are the current bookies’ favorite to win the tournament, closely followed by Man Utd and Roma
- We preview the draw, analyze each group and offer some picks below
The draw for the group stages of the 2022-23 UEFA Europa League took place earlier in Istanbul. Some of Europe’s top teams now know who they will face in their quest to make it into the knockout phase of the continent’s second-biggest team competition.
Europa League Odds and Predictions
Prior to the draw being made, Arsenal were the bookies’ favorites to win this competition but only just ahead of EPL rivals Manchester United and Roma from Italy’s Serie A. Fourth and fifth in the listings were Real Betis and Lazio.
Despite the Gunners being drawn in what looks a competitive group, they are still listed as favorites, although Man Utd’s relatively straightforward-looking group has seen them close the gap in the odds.
We list the Europa League odds for each group, offer some analysis, and predict a winner and a qualifier for each of the eight groups.
UEL Group A Odds
| Team | Moneyline |
|---|---|
| Arsenal | -335 |
| PSV Eindhoven | +400 |
| Bodø/Glimt | +1100 |
| FC Zurich | +1400 |
Odds as of Aug 26 at Barstool Sportsbook Use this Barstool Sportsbook promo code to bet on this or other competitions.
Arsenal are odds-on to win Group A and favorites to win the whole competition but will be pushed hard by PSV to top this group.
The Dutch side were runners-up in last season’s Eredivisie and, incredibly, participated in all three Euro competitions last season, eventually losing to Leicester City in the quarters of the Europa Conference League. They have lots of European experience.
Can't wait to be together again at Emirates Stadium on Saturday 😍 pic.twitter.com/vbc2hPJz26
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) August 25, 2022
It looks a big ask for Bodø/Glimt and Zurich to qualify for the knockout phase, but both are capable of causing an upset along the way.
UEL Group B Odds
| Team | Moneyline |
|---|---|
| Fenerbahçe | +175 |
| Stade Rennes | +175 |
| Dynamo Kyiv | +250 |
| AEK Larnaca | +1100 |
This one looks like a classic three-into-two battle, with only AEK Larnaca out of the running to win the group.
Fenerbahçe, runners-up in the Turkish Süper Lig, could only manage third place in the UEL group stages last season and fell at the first hurdle in the Europa Conference League but will have learned from that experience. They will be strong, especially at home.
[PROS]
⌛ Notre groupe d’@EuropaLeague sera connu dans 2 heures.
🎥 Profitez-en pour revivre 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝘁𝘀 🔴&⚫ 𝗲𝗻 𝗖𝟯. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/vzCwBip00h
— Stade Rennais F.C. (@staderennais) August 26, 2022
Dynamo Kyiv’s lack of competitive action may count against them but they will be highly motivated, while Rennes’ fourth place in last season’s Ligue 1 was evidence of a talented team – one that also has plenty of European experience.
UEL Group C Odds
| Team | Moneyline |
|---|---|
| AS Roma | -167 |
| Real Betis | +170 |
| Ludogorets | +1100 |
| HJK Helsinki | +3000 |
AS Roma are odds-on to win this group with good reason – they have good players and are managed by Jose Mourinho – but they will be pushed hard by Real Betis.
Putting in the hard yards 💪
#ASRoma pic.twitter.com/U3J82TSFL0— AS Roma English (@ASRomaEN) August 24, 2022
The Spaniards enjoyed a good run in this competition last season – making it to the round-of-16, only to be knocked out by the eventual winners, Eintracht Frankfurt.
It’s hard to see either Ludogorets or HJK Helsinki making too much of an impression against two quality teams.
UEL Group D Odds
| Team | Moneyline |
|---|---|
| Union Berlin | +175 |
| SC Braga | +175 |
| Malmö FF | +375 |
| Union Saint-Gilloise | +500 |
This group looks wide open and promises to be much more competitive than Group C, with all four teams in with a realistic shout of qualification.
The minnows of Union Saint-Gilloise cannot be dismissed as they finished top of a very competitive Belgian First Division A at the end of the regular season – missing out narrowly on the title at the expense of Club Brugge after the playoffs.
A view from the sidelines. Eisern! pic.twitter.com/FsvZ6bq7zF
— 1. FC Union Berlin (English) (@fcunion_en) August 25, 2022
Union Berlin, Braga and Malmö, teams of similar quality, will ensure this is the most competitive group of the eight, with, for me, the Germans edging it in terms of momentum.
UEL Group E Odds
| Team | Moneyline |
|---|---|
| Manchester United | -225 |
| Real Sociedad | +225 |
| Omonia Nicosia | +1400 |
| Sheriff Tiraspol | +2000 |
The odds suggest this is a two-horse race and with good reason. While Omonia Nicosia and Sheriff Tiraspol have done well to qualify for the UEL group stages, both are realistically battling for a place in the Europa Conference League.
United have had a nightmare start to their domestic campaign, but victory over Liverpool on Monday night may finally have ignited the new Erik ten Hag era.
Getting set for a trip to the south coast 🛣✊#MUFC || #SOUMUN pic.twitter.com/2p9eAQVr31
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 25, 2022
If that version of United turns up in the UEL then they will win the group but Sociedad is a good team and could still edge United out of the top spot.
UEL Group F Odds
| Team | Moneyline |
|---|---|
| Lazio | -118 |
| Feyenoord | +300 |
| FC Midtjylland | +500 |
| Sturm Graz | +600 |
Lazio are odds-on to win the group but Feyenoord are experienced European campaigners, who were runners-up to Lazio’s local rivals, Roma, in the final of last season’s Europa Conference League. They will push the Italians hard.
FC Midtjylland – runners-up in the Danish Superliga last season – were also in all three European competitions last season (like PSV) but struggled to make much of an impact.
How good is this man…
𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐃. 🤤 @SLBenfica pic.twitter.com/vBmtKqNNX9
— Feyenoord Rotterdam (@Feyenoord) August 24, 2022
Sturm Graz finished second in last season’s Austrian Bundesliga but crashed out of the Europa League at the group stage and look likely to do the same again.
UEL Group G Odds
| Team | Moneyline |
|---|---|
| Olympiacos | +150 |
| SC Freiburg | +220 |
| FC Nantes | +325 |
| Qarabağ | +500 |
Group G looks like it could be close with just 350 moneyline points separating all four teams. Olympiacos, as favorites, have quality but notoriously struggle away from home, while Freiburg are relative unknowns at this level, playing in only their fifth European campaign.
— FC Nantes (@FCNantes) August 24, 2022
Nantes qualified for the UEL as a result of winning the Coupe de France, and while a ninth-place finish in Ligue 1 was underwhelming, they clearly thrive in cup soccer. They will be dangerous opponents.
Qarabağ, the champions of Azerbaijan, may find the step up in quality a step too far.
UEL Group H Odds
| Team | Moneyline |
|---|---|
| Monaco | +120 |
| Trabzonspor AS | +250 |
| Crvena Zvezda | +400 |
| Ferencváros | +500 |
This is another group with, in theory, four well-matched teams. Monaco starts as favorites but even Ferencváros have enough quality to claim top spot, especially if they can regularly pick up points away from home.
🔴 𝕊ℚ𝕌𝔸𝔻 ⚪ pic.twitter.com/8EBsnL2F7I
— AS Monaco EN (@AS_Monaco_EN) August 26, 2022
Trabzonspor AS are another team who will rely mainly on their home form to make the top two, while Crvena Zvezda is a notoriously tough opponent, even on their travels.
Again, much in this group depends on the opening two rounds of games.
Picks: To win Group H – Monaco (+120) / To also qualify – Ferencváros
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Sports Writer
Once just a sports fanatic, fan-turned-writer Gary Gowers has been featured on European television and radio networks to discuss several professional football clubs. His work can be found in an assortment of publications like The Metro, MyFootballWriter.com, and BBC Radio Norfolk.
