Believe it or not, Barcelona isn’t the favorite to win the UEFA Europa League. That privilege belongs to Borussia Dortmund, which offers a +550 price in the sportsbook. The main reason is a 21-year-old striker called Erling Haaland.
Dortmund and Barcelona got eliminated from the UEFA Champions League, that’s why they’ll be playing in the UEL. That’s also why the four teams that finished unbeaten in the UEL Group Stage arrive as dark horses.
UEFA Europa League Recap
Play-off
Besides Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona, six other teams will play the UEL after being eliminated from the UCL. Here’s the list: Atalanta, Sevilla, RB Leipzig, Zenit, Sheriff and Porto.
Most of them come in as the betting online favorites to advance to the Round of 16. They’ll face the teams that finished in second place during Group Stage play, so it won’t be that easy. It’s going to be a two-game series.
The pairings:
- Barcelona vs Napoli
- Borussia Dortmund vs Rangers
- Atalanta vs Olympiacos
- Sevilla vs Dinamo Zagreb
- RB Leipzig vs Real Sociedad
- Zenit vs Real Betis
- Sheriff vs Braga
- Porto vs Lazio
No team can underestimate an opponent, but especially Barcelona, RB Leipzig, Zenit, and Porto. In fact, Zenit isn’t the favorite to advance, Real Betis dominates this fixture’s soccer odds thanks to a -150 price.
The first leg is scheduled for Feb. 17th, with the second one eight days later.
Who’s in the Round of 16?
All group winners got a direct ticket to the Round of 16. Lyon won Group A with a 5-1-0 record. AS Monaco, Frankfurt, and Galatasaray also won their groups unbeaten records. Lyon also finished as the top scoring team with 16 goals, while Galatasaray only allowed three goals.
Spartak Moscow, Red Star Belgrade, Bayer Leverkusen, and West United also qualified. The Hammers are offering a +1200 price to win the title. That’s the best price from a team not coming off the UCL.
If you’re looking for a dark horse to include in your soccer picks, Lyon at +1400 looks good. Real Betis is also looking good at +2500. Los Verdiblancos are having a great season and a team from Spain won seven out of the last 10 titles.
The Round of 16 begins March 10th.
Disappointments
It says here Leicester City were the biggest disappointment. The English side finished third in Group C with a 2-2-2 record. They only needed a draw in the last fixture against Napoli, but lost 3-2. Curiously enough, the Foxes scored more goals than Spartak Moscow, the team that finished first.
PSV were another underachieving outfit. They also only needed a draw in the last fixture against Real Sociedad, but lost 3-0. Mario Gotze, Cody Gakpo, Marco van Ginkel and Carlos Vinicius weren’t enough. Winning the Eredivisie is all they have left.
Golden Boot Race
One of the main reasons for Lyon finishing the Group Stage unbeaten was Karl Toko Ekambi. He’s the tournament’s top scorer-alongside Wenderson Rodrigues (Braga)-with six goals. They’re followed by four players whose teams were eliminated, however.
If Borussia Dortmund goes all the way, I do believe Haaland is capable of finishing as the top scorer. That’s how good he’s. Plus, it would be the best way to say goodbye as he’ll be leaving at the end of the season.
