UEFA Europa League Predictions Today: UEL Best Bets for September 16

English teams have dominated the Europa League recently, and I expect more of the same this season. I’m not sure if Sunderland have the squad depth to go all the way in this tournament, but they should be able to get out of the group.

The team is very good at home, and the opening game against AZ Alkmaar will bring the best of the local fans. The atmosphere will be great, which usually lifts the Sunderland players.

Their physical style of play should help the home side on both ends, as Sunderland defend relentlessly and can be very dangerous in attack. We saw that clearly against Arsenal, when the Black Cats went toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in Europe.

If they can deliver a similar performance, it should be a comfortable win against AZ Alkmaar. The Dutch side has started the season well and can create some chances, so they are not harmless by any means.

However, AZ have allowed a goal per game so far against much inferior opponents. They will struggle to contain Sunderland’s intensity, so backing the hosts to win and over 1.5 games is among the Europa League best bets today at -128.

The match between AC Milan and Benfica is one of the toughest to predict in the opening round, when it comes to the potential winner. However, both sides have delivered a bunch of high-scoring games this season already, so the totals market is very appealing.

AC Milan have scored seven goals in four Serie A games, finding the net twice in three of them. They are very likely to create good chances against Benfica, as the Portuguese team have allowed at least a goal in five of their six Europa League qualifiers so far.

On the bright side, Benfica scored 22 times in the six games in question on the road to the groups. The Portuguese team has also produced 21 in six games in the Portuguese league, so it’s hard to stop Benfica from scoring.

From a purely statistical standpoint, the over is an excellent choice here at -150, as both sides are dangerous. If you’re brave enough, going for over 3 at plus odds is a solid choice as well.