- Brighton matched with European heavyweights
- Liverpool favourites
- Rangers matched with Real Betis
Brighton and Hove Albion have been drawn with Ajax, Marseille and AEK Athens in Group B of the 2023-24 Europa League.The Seagulls finished sixth last season, securing European football for the first time in their 122-year history. Roberto De Zerbi’s side will get the chance to go up against clubs with a genuine European pedigree.
Liverpool will face LASK, Union St-Gilloise and Toulouse in Group E, while West Ham United, winners of the Europa Conference League, are pitted against Olympiacos, Freiburg, TSC Backa Topola in Group A.
Rangers, who were beaten by PSV in their Champions League play-off, have been matched with with Real Betis, Sparta Prague and Aris Limassol in Group C.
Betting Implications
Liverpool, who will have been disappointed to miss out on the Champions League last season, are expected to get through their group and are the bookie’s favourites. BoyleSports have them as 7/2 favourites to win the competition outright at the time of writing. Brighton are currently second favourites at 12/1. West Ham, at present, are expected to get through their group. Rangers possibly have the toughest group of the British teams.
Punters need to study the form of the different teams in each group and monitor how they do domestically as the season progresses.
Europa League Group Stage
Group A: WEST HAM UNITED, Olympiacos, Freiburg, TSC Backa Topola
Group B: Ajax, Marseille, BRIGHTON AND HOVE ALBION, AEK Athens
Group C: RANGERS, Real Betis, Sparta Prague, Aris Limassol
Group D: Atalanta, Sporting Lisbon, Sturm Graz, Rakow
Group E: LIVERPOOL, LASK, Union St-Gilloise, Toulouse
Group F: Villarreal, Rennes, Maccabi Haifa, Panathinaikos
Group G: Roma, Slavia Prague, Sheriff Tiraspol, Servette
Group H: Bayer Leverkusen, Qarabag, Molde, BK Hacken