2026-27 UEFA Europa League Betting Preview: Winner Odds, Favorites, Predictions

Juventus (+600)

Juventus are leading the Europa League winner odds and can certainly win the tournament, but I don’t recommend backing them at this price. The team struggled last year, finishing sixth in the Serie A, and I don’t think they’ve improved enough to be the main Europa League favorite.

The club did bring a lot of players in the summer, but I don’t see a true difference-maker on that list. Woltemade and Kolo Muani are both too inconsistent to solve their attacking problems, while the defense will once again struggle against good teams.

Overall, Juventus lacks consistency, so backing them at +600 when better teams are available at higher prices doesn’t make sense.

Furthermore, the Italian side is likely to be involved in a Serie A battle for the Champions League spots in the spring. As a result, head coach Luciano Spalletti won’t have the luxury to rotate players and focus on the Europa League.

Bayer Leverkusen (+800)

Bayer Leverkusen is another favorite that I wouldn’t back at these odds. The team struggled defensively last year, allowing 47 goals in 34 matches, which doesn’t bode well for a knockout tournament like the Europa League.

Furthermore, the club is going through a rebuild after losing a few key players like Alex Grimaldo and Exequiel Palacios. Leverkusen did sign some interesting names in the summer to replace them, but many of them are young and will need time.

The overall sensation is that Leverkusen will need time to gel and likely struggle for consistency this season. Furthermore, there’s a good chance the team will be battling on two fronts in the spring, which will hurt their Europa League chances.

If everything clicks at the right time, Leverkusen could win the Europa League, but there are better bets out there.

Benfica (+800)

If this was Benfica from last season, I’d seriously consider betting on them winning the Europa League at these odds. However, the team lost Jose Mourinho to Real Madrid and several key players such as Amar Dedic, Orkun Kökçü, and Antonio Silva.

Their replacements are mostly young players who will need time. The defense is particularly questionable, as we saw in the 3-1 defeat against Porto recently. Good teams will be punishing this Benfica backline rather comfortably.

On the bright side, the attack is good and has already delivered over 20 goals in only five games in the Portuguese league. The question is whether it can be as prolific when the Europa League knockouts come and Benfica has to face top opponents from Spain, England, Italy, Germany, and France.

It’s possible, but I would certainly consider a price of over +1000 to back Benfica to win the Europa League. At the current odds of +800, that’s a hard pass.

AC Milan (+900)

AC Milan is another flawed favorite that could win the tournament, but the odds are just not high enough to go there. The team is now led by head coach Ruben Amorim, who needs to rebuild his reputation after that horrific Manchester United stint.

I don’t think Amorim is as bad as his time in England suggests, but he’s certainly a head coach with very specific demands. Applying his ideas will take time, so AC Milan should be inconsistent this season.

A lot depends on the new signings as well, with the club spending over €150 million on Goncalo Ramos, Diego Moreira, and Mario Gila alone. They need to deliver this season for Milan to be competitive.

I expect a deep run, but the big question here is what happens if Milan is fighting for the Champions League places in the Serie A, for example. I don’t see enough depth for the team to keep going on two fronts towards the end of the season, so I’m not a big fan of backing AC Milan.

Sunderland (+1400)

English teams have dominated the Europa League in the past couple of seasons, so you should take Sunderland seriously. This team was supposed to go get relegated from the Premier League last season, only to finish 7th and qualify for the Europa League.

Everyone in the club deserves a ton of credit, starting with the board and people responsible for transfers. Sunderland signed an exciting mix of talented young players and veterans that immediately improved the squad.

I’m still not quite sure how a player like Granit Xhaka went there, while the likes of Robin Roefs, Noah Sadiki, and Brian Brobbey look bound to end up in the top European soccer teams eventually.

This team has everything: strong defense, intelligent midfield, and efficient attack that can score in multiple ways. Their manager Régis Le Bris has been able to maximize Sunderland’s potential, and the fans love him and the squad.

We clearly saw that Sunderland can go toe to toe against the best in the world in the recent games against Manchester City and Arsenal. The Black Cats pushed the Premier League leading duo to the limit and were extremely unlucky to lose against both sides.

Finally, Sunderland could be in the perfect spot to focus on the Europa League in the last few months of the season. I expect to see them around the middle of the EPL table, so Le Bris should be able to prioritize Europe over the domestic league.

Sunderland tick all boxes, so grabbing +1400 for the English team to win the Europa League is excellent value.

The Rest of the Bunch

Plenty of other teams could go all the way in this tournament, but only a few are worth a look from a betting perspective. I would stay away from AFC Bournemouth and Crystal Palace, as both sides lost their coaches and key players this summer.

I also don’t trust Celta and Real Sociedad for the knockouts, as their defenses are vulnerable. They should reach the eliminations, but beating more than one good team looks very hard.

Outside of these four, we’re entering sleeper territory. Teams like Besiktas, Olympique Marseille, and Lyon need to overperform significantly to win the Europa League, so I’m not a big fan of backing them, either.