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UEFA Europa League Opening Odds for Each Group: Arsenal, Tottenham and Villarreal Heavy Favorites to Win Groups

John Dillon

by John Dillon in Soccer News

Updated Mar 8, 2021 · 10:35 AM PST

Arsenal
Arsenal's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, centre, celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Leeds United at the Emirates stadium in London, England, Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021. (Catherine Ivill/Pool via AP)
  • UEFA have drawn 12 groups of four with fixtures commencing on October 22
  • Gunners will meet Rapid Vienna while Spurs also face Austrians of LASK Linz
  • See all odds and best bets for Europa League 2020/21 group stage

The draw has been made for the Europa League group stage with Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and AC Milan among the leading contenders to win the trophy.

The final will be played in Gdansk in Poland on May 26, 2021, where it was originally scheduled to take place last season.

UEL Group A Odds

Team Top 2 Odds Odds to Win
Roma -1250 -182
Young Boys -143 +350
CFR Cluj +130 +600
CSKA Sofia +300 +1100

All odds taken on October 2 at DraftKings

Group A

Roma clearly lead the way in Group A after reaching the last 16 of this competition where they were eliminated 2-0 by eventual winners Sevilla in August.

They were fifth in Serie A and have begun the new campaign with a 3-0 win against Hellas Verona and a 2-2 draw against Juventus.

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Swiss champions Young Boys are in the UEL after losing a Champions League playoff round game 3-0 against Tirana – and also failed to get beyond the Europa League group stage last season.

Pick: Roma (-200)

UEL Group B Odds

Team Top 2 Odds Odds to Win
Arsenal -10000 -1000
Rapid Vienna -143 +900
Molde -125 +1400
Dundalk +1100 +10000

Group B

Arsenal are the competition favorites so should dominate this group.

So Rapid Vienna’s battle for second place with Molde could be more interesting,

Vienna were last in European competition when they were eliminated from the 2018/19 Europa League Round of 32 by Inter Milan – losing 1-0 at home and 4-0 away.

Denmark’s Molde advanced through three UCL qualifying rounds before being eliminated in the playoff by Ferencvarosi and entering the UEL instead.

Pick: Rapid Vienna – Top 2 (-143)

UEL Group C Odds

Team Top 2 Odds Odds to Win
Bayer Leverkusen -560 -134
Nice -143 +300
Slavia Prague -125 +400
Hapoel Beer Sheva +375 +1100

Group C

Germany’s Bayer Leverkusen are the strongest outfit in Group G and were quarterfinalists in this competition last season – losing 2-1 to eventual runners-up Inter Milan after failing to get beyond the UCL group stage.

Nice are back in European competition for the first time since 2017-18 when they reached the last 32 of the Europa League before being defeated by Lokomotiv Moscow.

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Leverkusen have drawn both of this season’s Bundesliga games by 0-0 at Wolfsburg and 1-1 at home against Red Bull Leipzig.

Nice are 10th in Ligue1 after two wins, one draw and two defeats.

Pick: Bayer Leverkusen (-143)

UEL Group D Odds

Team Top 2 Odds Odds to Win
Benfica -1000 -182
Rangers -125 +350
Standard Liege +110 +500
Lech Poznan +275 +1200

Group D

The intriguing battle here could be for second place behind big-spending Benfica between Glasgow Rangers and Standard Liege.

Steven Gerrard’s Rangers reached the last 16 of the UEL last season where they were knocked out by Bayer Leverkusen and can capitalize on the experience.

Liege have advanced through three qualifying rounds to reach the group after failing to get beyond the group stage in the previous two seasons. Rangers played two such ties.

Benfica were eliminated from the Champions League’s third qualifying round by Greek side PAOK.

Pick: Rangers – Top 2 (-125)

UEL Group E Odds

Team Top 2 Odds Odds to Win
PSV Eindhoven -250 +115
Granada -200 +200
PAOK Thessaloniki -112 +350
Omonia Nicosia +275 +1100

Group E

The romantic interest here could be in following second-favorites Granada in their first-ever season in European competition.

They won three qualifying rounds to reach the group stage – knocking out Malmo of Sweden in the playoff.

Favorites PSV Eindhoven have a far greater European pedigree.

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Champions League winners in 1988, they failed to get beyond the group stage in last season’s Europa League. They won two qualifying rounds to reach this stage.

PAOK may run both teams close after exiting from the UCL playoff round against Russian side Krasnodar.

Pick: PSV Eindhoven (+115)

UEL Group F Odds

Team Top 2 Odds Odds to Win
Napoli -560 -167
Real Sociedad -200 +270
AZ Alkmaar +125 +600
Rijeka +275 +1100

Group F

Napoli are the most powerful outfit in this section after reaching the Champions League last 16 in 2019-20 before being knocked out by Barcelona.

They are top of Italy’s Serie A after two fixtures which included a 6-0 thrashing of Genoa.

Second favorites Real Sociedad could be pushed hard by AZ Alkmaar who were Dutch title runners-up last season.

Alkmaar were beaten 2-0 by Dinamo Kiev in this season’s Champions League third qualifying round.

Pick: Napoli (-167)

UEL Group G Odds

Team Top 2 Odds Odds to Win
Leicester City -670 -143
SC Braga -182 +275
AEK Athens +100 +450
Zorya Luhansk +400 +2000

Group G

Leicester City were top of England’s Premier League after three games and are obvious favorites here.

Portugal’s Braga could have an intriguing fight for second place with AEK Athens.

Braga were beaten by Glasgow Rangers in this competition’s last 32 last season.

AEK have progressed through a qualifying round and 2-1 playoff defeat of Germany’s Wolfsburg to reach the group stage.

Pick: Leicester City (-143)

UEL Group H Odds

Team Top 2 Odds Odds to Win
AC Milan -335 -118
Lille -125 +300
Celtic -125 +450
Sparta Prague +200 +650

Group H

The battle between second-favorites Lille and Glasgow Celtic could be the most interesting contest – with Milan clear favorites.

Celtic were beaten by Ferencvarosi in the Champions League second qualifying round. They then overcame Riga in the UEL third qualifying round and Sarajevo in the playoff – both by 1-0 scorelines.

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Lille was bottom of their Champions League group last season and was automatic UEL group stage qualifiers after finishing fourth in Ligue1.

Pick: Lille – Top 2 (+300)

UEL Group  I Odds

Team Top 2 Odds Odds to Win
Villarreal -1000 -250
Sivasspor -112 +500
Maccabi Tel Aviv +100 +600
Qarabag +250 +120

Group I

Villarreal were fourth in Spain’s La Liga after four fixtures and are clear favorites in this section.

Turkey’s Sivasspor have had only one campaign in European football when they lost in a Europa League playoff against Shakhtar Donetsk in 2009-10. They were fourth in Turkey’s Super Lig last season.

But they should be stronger than third-favorites Maccabi Tel Aviv who finished first in the Israeli league last year but who are winless in their opening two matches this season at 0-1-1. They’re also off back-to-back defeats to Salzburg, 2-1 and 3-1 in their Champions League playoff.

Pick: Villarreal (-250), Sivasspor – Top 2 (-112)

UEL Group J Odds

Team Top 2 Odds Odds to Win
Tottenham Hotspur -2000 -375
LASK Linz +100 +600
Ludogorets Razgrad +160 +1000
Royal Antwerp +160 +1000

Group J

Premier League giants Tottenham should go unchallenged.

LASK Linz of Austria could win the battle for second place after reaching the last 16 last season before being eliminated by Manchester United.

But Bulgaria’s Ludogorets reached the same stage in 2019-20 before being knocked out by eventual finalists Inter Milan. So it could be tight.

Pick: Tottenham Hotspur (-375), LASK – Top 2 (+100)

UEL Group K Odds

Team Top 2 Odds Odds to Win
CSKA Moscow -275 +150
Dinamo Zagreb -143 +250
Feyenoord -143 +250
Wolfsberger AC (Austria) +230 +650

Group K

Feyenoord and Dinamo Zagreb are jointly favored for second place behind CSKA Moscow with good reason.

Dutch side Feyenoord qualified automatically for the group after finishing third in the Eredivisie.

Zagreb lost in the UCL third qualifying round against Ferencvarosi before a 3-1 win over the Estonians of Flora in the Europa League playoff.

Pick: CSKA Moscow (+150)

UEL Group L Odds

Team Top 2 Odds Odds to Win
Hoffenheim -305 -112
AA Gent -155 +250
Red Star Belgrade +110 +500
Slovan Liberec +160 +700

Group L

Hoffenheim of Germany recently showed what they are capable of with a 4-1 thrashing of Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga so are clear favorites.

Gent exited the Champions League in a playoff defeat by Dinamo Kiev while Red Star went out a stage earlier in the third qualifying round against Omonia of Cyprus.

Gent then went straight into the UEL group stage while Belgrade had to overcome Ararat-Armenia by 2-1 in a playoff.

Pick: Hoffenheim (-112)

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