Europa League Set to Return on August 5th: Man U & Inter Milan Top Favorites

• Europa League action is set to return in early August
• Manchester United and Inter Milan are the current favorites to lift the trophy this year
• Get more info about the tournament and the best bets below

With football back in business, Europa League is ready to begin once again in early August. The quarterfinals, semifinals, and final, will all be played in Germany. Venues will include Cologne, Duisburg, Düsseldorf and Gelsenkirchen.

Europa League Winner Odds

Odds taken June 17

A number of round of 16 ties have yet to finish the second legs and a decision is still pending on whether those fixtures will be played at the respective team’s home stadium or one of the German cities. To boot, there were also several first legs that have yet to be played, such as Inter vs Getafe and Sevilla vs Roma. UEFA has confirmed that these two matches will be played as single legs to determine who advances to the last eight.

Action will start on August 5th, with the final ultimately being played on August 21st in Cologne.

🗓️ Your #UEL August. pic.twitter.com/MR93qTEnqn

— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) June 17, 2020

A Closer Look at the Favorites

As of right now, the 2020 Europa League Odds favor the Red Devils at +275. Before football came to a halt in early March, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side breezed through the group stages and round of 16 first leg. After a disappointing draw against Belgian powerhouse Club Brugge in the first leg of the round of 32, United responded with a 5-0 victory at Old Trafford in the reverse tie.

In the last 16, they comfortably handled Austrian outfit LASK Linz, also beating them 5-0. They’re still yet to play the second leg, but given Man United’s current lead on aggregate, it’s safe to stay they’re a shoe-in for the last eight. The Premier League giants have yet to face a quality side who could pose a threat to them, but as the competition winds down, it’s only a matter of time until they face the likes of a Sevilla or Inter Milan. Youngster Mason Greenwood has been lethal for the Red Devils, scoring five goals in the competition.

Inter Milan crashed out of the Champions League in the group stage, resulting in them switching over to Europa. Antonio Conte’s men beat Ludogorets 4-1 across two legs in the round of 32 and were set to face Getafe in the round of 16, but were unable to play the first leg due to the pandemic.

The Serie A and La Liga sides will meet in a single leg in early August to determine who advances. Inter will be an intriguing team to watch as the tournament proceeds, given their electric duo up top of Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez. The Belgian has found the net 23 times across all competitions, while Barcelona target Martinez has netted 16 goals.

Wolverhampton are the other Premier League side left in Europa, who have +550 odds to lift the trophy. They’ve had an up and down campaign in Europe, but nevertheless, Wolves still find themselves in the running. A 1-1 tie with Greek giants Olympiakos in the first leg of the round of 16 will set up an entertaining second leg for a berth in the quarters. Portuguese international Diogo Jota is one of the leading scorers in Europa League, scoring six goals for Nuno Espirito Santo’s squad.

Can Leverkusen or Sevilla Make a Mark?

Bayer Leverkusen has been a team that has played very entertaining football lately thanks to the form of their young phenom Kai Havertz, who is on the radar of many big clubs across the continent. They beat Rangers 3-1 in the first leg of the last 16 and should be considered a contender in Europa given their impressive squad and current form as they currently sit in a UCL spot for next year in Bundesliga.

Sevilla has yet to play the round of 16 but will do so in August against Italian giants Roma. This won’t be an easy task by any means, but Julen Lopetegui’s side has enjoyed a solid campaign where they are comfortably in third place behind Real Madrid and Barcelona in Spain’s top flight.

Both Leverkusen and Sevilla should be considered under the radar teams to watch in the Europa League who have the potential to compete with the best of the best in this tournament.

Best Bet

Despite Manchester United having a very convincing Europa campaign, I believe that Inter Milan will be the side to raise the trophy on August 21st. They haven’t played a lot of matches in this competition since they came over from Champions League, but this is all they have left to play for. Their shot at a Serie A title is out of reach because of their dip in form recently and before the pandemic. Knowing this is their last chance at hardware this season, I think Conte’s men will put their best foot forward in August.

Pick: Inter Milan +500