The Europa League may be the second tier of European football but that doesn’t take anything away from this great competition. We still have many big names in the group stages and when the 3rd placed Champions League teams come into the knockout round, the competition certainly goes up a level! We don’t know who those teams will be just yet, but we are sure to drop on some big names to go alongside those who qualify from the group stages.
Games are played in the Europa League on a Thursday night, which means it is often the only football taking place around Europe on that day. This gives the competition the chance to shine without any competition, and it also gives punters the chance to place a bet without having to wait until the weekend, so it is a win-win scenario for everyone involved.
How to Bet on the Europa League?
Qualifying for the Europa League takes place over the summer, with teams from pretty much every European nation involved in this. By doing things this way, it gives many smaller clubs the chance to fight for glory and upset someone to make the group stages, although it is tough to get through, as many have experienced in the past!
The prize on offer is the group stage, and this is where a total of 48 teams will battle it out, with 12 groups and four teams in each. 17 of those teams have qualified automatically for the competition, while the remaining 31 came from either being successful in the Europa League qualifiers, or unsuccessful in the Champions League playoff round, which is a path to the group stages of this competition without playing in the Europa League qualifiers.
When it comes to the knockout round, more teams will enter this competition. The first two from each group will qualify, giving a total of 24 teams into the knockout phase. These are joined by the eight 3rd place finishers from the Champions League group stage, leaving a total of 32 teams to battle it out and work their way down to a situation where just two remain, and it is those two who will contest the Europa League final.
Europa League Betting Explained
Following in the footsteps of the Champions League, the Europa League has a great range of betting markets available for punters. With every game taking place on the same day, Thursday evenings, this competition is perfect for those who want to place a midweek accumulator. With 24 games all taking place on one day, you have an abundance of games to choose from, and plenty of choices when it comes down to narrowing down who will go in your accumulator.
If it’s a single you want to place then the Europa League games are home to hundreds of different betting markets that you can utilise. Things like betting on the first goal scorer, a player to score anytime, the correct score, total goals in a game and much more is all available for you to use. The Europa League games are also available for betting on stats such as the number of corners or cards in a game, this can often offer an interesting and different angle for those looking to try something new.
While the Europa League may be seen as a smaller competition than the Champions League, when it comes to betting on the games there is little difference between them. Those looking to place an ante post wager will be able to get on, either backing a team to win outright or betting on who will win each group, both offer fun ways of getting involved and placing a bet.
Europa League Free Bets and enhanced odds offers
There is nothing better than getting a good deal while betting. This can be in the form of receiving enhanced odds, or maybe even a free bet from your bookmaker but whatever it is, these are always worth taking advantage of. These offers give you the chance to be more profitable, enhanced odds means more profit in your pocket, and free bets mean not spending anything to get a wager on, both are ways of making a bigger and better profit when you are betting on the Europa League.
We see many regular midweek football offers on the Europa League with games being played only on Thursday nights during the season. Enhanced odds offers are proving to be very popular with punters, so it is certainly worth checking out these and we will have many listed on the SBAT website throughout the season, so be sure to check back when the games are being played. This gives you the chance to win big, with great odds on offer for those who take advantage.
Another way to get a good deal is to look out for free bet offers. This is something else we love, and we will ensure we bring the very best ones to you when the Europa League is taking place. This may be a great sign up offer or something else, but whichever it is, this will allow you to place a risk-free bet without putting your own money down, in the hope of picking up a return.
The Europa League offers a fantastic opportunity for gamblers who are looking for some action on Thursday nights throughout the football season.