The draw for the group stages of the 2018/19 Europa League campaign was made on Friday September 21st 2018.
A total of 48 teams will compete in 12 groups with 24 progressing to the knockout stages. A further 12 teams will drop from the Champions League to make a total of 32 teams in the knockout phase.
Defending champions Atletico Madrid will begin their European campaign in the Champions League but may still feature in the Europa League if they finish third in their group.
The Favourites
It is no surprise that Premier League heavyweights Arsenal and Chelsea are favourites to win the competition.
They are followed by five-time winners Sevilla, German side Bayer Leverkusen and Italian giants AC Milan.
Arsenal
Gunners’ boss Unai Emery has incredible pedigree in this competition having won it three times in a row as boss of Sevilla.
He will look to improve on last season’s performance when former boss Arsene Wenger took the Londoners all the way to the semi-finals.
Chelsea
Chelsea won the tournament in 2013, a year after they lifted the Champions League. However, new technician Maurizio Sarri has yet to land a trophy in his career.
He was accused of prioritising the league over Europe during his spell as Napoli boss so it will be interesting to see how he approaches UEFA’s second-tier competition as coach of the Blues.
Sevilla
Sevilla have won the event a record five times and will be competing for the first time since defeating Liverpool in the 2016 final. Last year, they beat Manchester United to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League, where they were beaten by Bayern Munich.
New coach Pablo Machín will look to make an impact in his debut European campaign. The Spanish side can be backed at a huge price of 18/1.
Bayer Leverkusen
The German side won the tournament way back in 1988, beating Español on penalties, and also featured in a Champions League final in 2002 where they lost to Real Madrid.
Former striker Heiko Herrlich led them to a sixth-place finish in the Bundesliga last season, level on points with Hoffenheim and Borussia Dortmund who both progressed to the Champions League, with the latter priced up at a hefty 70/1 to claim a second Champions League crown.
AC Milan
The former European giants AC Milan have struggled in recent years. However, they have shown glimpses of a revival under new boss Gennaro Gattuso.
The former club captain won two Champions League medals as a player for the Rossoneri and is part of a new club structure that includes former players Leonardo and Paolo Maldini as sporting director and sporting strategy and development director respectively.
Last season, Milan made it to the last 16 where they fell to Arsenal. They will be hoping to go even further this year and have a reinforced squad at their disposal. It is no surprise they are now among the favourites.
The Outsiders
Outside of the main contenders, what other teams are worth keeping an eye on? And which underdogs have the potential to go all the way?
Nine out of the last 15 editions of this tournament have been won by Spanish teams so it is always worth looking in that direction for possible candidates. And since 2009, only teams from the Iberian Peninsula or England have won the competition.
Here are a few teams to watch out for in this year's competition.
Real Betis
Despite a shaky start to their current La Liga campaign, Real Betis are a team to keep an eye on. They were involved in some of the Spanish league’s most thrilling games last season and are a joy to watch when they hit their stride.
Coach Quique Setien likes his teams to play with flair, whoever they are facing. This can result in open and entertaining games with plenty of goals.
They qualified for the competition after finishing sixth in La Liga last season ahead of city rivals Sevilla. They will compete against Dudelange of Luxembourg, AC Milan and Olympiacos in Group F and look well-priced at 5/2 to top the standings.
Villarreal
Villarreal have been regulars in the knockout stages of this competition and have reached three semi-finals since 2004. They have also featured in a Champions League semi-final in 2006 and a quarter-final in 2009.
Their European pedigree could give them an advantage as they seek to emerge from a group containing Rangers, Rapid Vienna and Spartak Moscow. A piece of 30/1 to win the tournament will attract some interest despite the Yellow Submarine’s shaky start to the current league campaign.
Sporting Braga
At the time of the draw for the group stages, Braga were unbeaten in 14 matches, a run which included a 4-0 friendly win over Premier League side Newcastle and draws against Celta de Vigo and Real Betis.
They were also top of the Portuguese league having opened the season with three wins and a draw.
The Arcebispos are led by 39-year-old former player Abel Ferreira, who was promoted from B team coach to first-team coach in 2016. He led them to the knockout phase last year where they were eliminated by finalists Marseilles.
Rangers
Rangers returned to Europe after a five-year absence last term but were dumped out at the qualifying stage.
This year, under the guidance of seasoned European campaigner Steven Gerrard, they navigated their way through the qualifying rounds to reach the group stages.
The Scottish side are unlikely to go all the way on the competition, and the price of 250/1 reflects that, but Gerrard’s experience could see them emerge from a group including Rapid Vienna, Spartak Moscow and Villarreal.
They are currently priced at 2/1 to finish in the top two in Group G.
RB Leipzig
The German side reached the quarter-finals last season where they lost 5-3 on aggregate to Marseille. They won a lot of admirers with their style of play but defensive frailties cost them.
Former coach Ralf Rangnick has taken over for the new season and led them through a successful Europa League qualifying campaign.
The highly-rated technician will hope to get the best out of a squad featuring some new signings and a host of players from their youth set-up.
Eintracht Frankfurt
Last season’s DFB-Pokal winners are one of the dark horses for this season’s Europa League.
Niko Kovač, the man that led them to their first major trophy since 1988, has been poached by Bayern Munich but his replacement, Adi Hütter, arrives with a strong track record having won league titles in Austria, with Red Bull Salzburg; and Switzerland, where he led Young Boys to their first league title since 1986.
He also led Austrian side SV Grödig to their one and only Europa League qualification. The Germans are priced at 17/20 to finish in the top two of Group H.
FC Krasnodar
The Russian Premier League side will feature in their fourth Europa League group stage in the last five year years. They emerged from the group stages on two occasions, their best result a place in the round of 16 in 2016/17.
Billionaire owner Sergei Galitsky has set about creating a team made up of local players who play fast attacking football and he has entrusted young coach, and Krasnodar native, Murad Musayev, to conduct matters from the bench.
The club has a state-of-the-art football academy and a stadium inspired by Rome’s Coliseum. Krasnodar can be backed at 17/20 to finish in the top two of Group J.
*Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*
