Europa League / Matthew Walton / 15 September 2009 / Leave a comment

As last season's UEFA Cup demonstrated, it doesn't always pay to back the big teams in Europe's second-string competition. So where should we put our money? asks Matthew Walton.

"There are now 12 groups in the expanded format of this tournament, listed A to L, and amongst them we see some distinctly dubious favourites in what could turn out to be tricky qualifying sections."

For many observers, in terms of importance, the Europa League is very much the poor relation of the Champions League. And, despite their protestations to the contrary, the same could well be said to apply for UEFA themselves.

However, as punters, the key to making money on Europe's other inter-continental club competition lies with the ability to gauge which clubs treat this tournament in the same way - as little more than a diversion from domestic concerns, a stepping-stone in the team's overall development or, more likely, a much needed money-spinner.

As we enter this season's 12-strong group phase, and are being asked to back several group favourites at all sorts of short prices, all we need do is take a look at last season's results.

St. Etienne coming out ahead of Valencia, Udinese edging out Spurs, Wolfsburg finishing above Milan. It's more than just a coincidence. More so when an unknown side like Metalist Kharkiv win a group that involves such proven European performers as Galatasaray, Olympiakos, Hertha Berlin and Benfica!

Just look at some of the prices. Spurs were [2.25] favourites to win their group in the 2008/09 competition and Milan were just [1.55] to win their section.

It's a well known fact that many sides who come into this tournament later on (the 'parachute teams' from the Champions League) don't consider the winning of this trophy as top of their seasonal priority list ... and, it would appear, many of those who are in the Europa League as of right treat it in the same casual manner.

Hence, when studying this group stage of the competition, punters must be aware that not all sides view progression as the be-all-and-end-all of their season. The winning of a group ensures a slightly easier draw come the final 32 but faced with winning in Europe or claiming a much needed three points domestically, managers are often happiest to turn their attentions closer to home.

There are now 12 groups in the expanded format of this tournament, listed A to L, and amongst them we see some distinctly dubious favourites in what could turn out to be tricky qualifying sections.

Take one club in Group I, Everton, as an example. They trade at [2.06] to top a section which includes Benfica [2.56], AEK Athens [7.0] and BATE Borisov [12.0]. David Moyes' side currently languish in the bottom half of the table, missing several injured players (notably Mikel Arteta) and have no recent European pedigree to speak of - are they really a better bet than the others?

Elsewhere Sporting Lisbon [2.08] in Group D face stern opposition from Hertha Berlin, PSV [1.54] in Group K take on an experienced European trio in FC Copenhagen, Sparta Prague and CFR Cluj and Werder Bremen [1.73] are hardly a shoo-in against Athletico Bilbao.

All these sides may well progress to the knock-out phase but whether they win the group, or even set out to win the group, is a subject of much debate.

A couple of sides do look like solid favourites with Hamburg [1.57] in Group C facing their stiffest challenge from Celtic and last season's winners Shakhtar Donetsk [1.60] to see off the threat of Toulouse, Brugge and Partisan Belgrade in Group J - but history has taught us to be wary of lumping on even these supposed 'good things'.

As with all bets, we strike them on the fundamental understanding that our chosen player, horse or, in this case, team are genuinely focused on winning, not merely competing. The fact of the matter, it has to be said, is that several sides in this particular competition in recent seasons have led us to question this very point. Quite simply, their priorities lie elsewhere.

Hence, when considering bets on the group winner market in this season's Europa League it is well worth bearing in mind that despite there appearing to be a few good bets in these various sections, there also must be several good lays as well.

Study the markets on Betfair, use what has been said here as your guide and discover that whilst some might not take this competition seriously, it can still make you serious profits.

Tags: Europa League betting, Europa League odds, Everton, football betting, football odds, Fulham, Hamburg, PSV, UEFA Cup