It’s a real priority, make no mistake about that.
Some clubs can be a little bit sniffy about Europe’s second competition. But at a time when a top four place in their domestic leagues is no longer guaranteed, the Europa League is the best chance of Champions League football for some.
That particularly applies to Premier League big guns Manchester United and Arsenal. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s United are in tenth place and already ten points behind fourth in the league, so that ship has surely sailed already, and Arsenal are six adrift.
With the top two places already as good as taken by Manchester City and Liverpool, and then both Chelsea and Leicester in superb form, the Europa League is now these two’s best chance.
It’s no surprise then that after four rounds of matches, the Red Devils and the Gunners are joint favourites in the latest Europa League 2019 betting odds, with serial winners Sevilla up there and Roma flying the flag for Italy.
Manchester United
The Red Devils have done a good job of navigating Group L and are home and hosed on ten points.
In its new reality, the Old Trafford club has come to appreciate the value of this competition, winning it under Jose Mourinho in 2017.
Solskjaer has a long-term project at Old Trafford, but the owners will want to see some signs of improvement sooner rather than later. So the form of Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial is a major boost to the boss, as both scored in a 3-0 win over Partizan Belgrade last night.
Arsenal
In Group F, Arsenal lost their 100 per cent record when Bruno Duarte scored an injury time equaliser for Vitoria Guimaraes to give the Portuguese club their first point of the campaign. Duarte’s effort was a lovely overhead scissor kick, but Arsenal boss Unai Emery wasn’t impressed.
Eintracht Frankfurt will have to battle it out with Standard Liege for second place in the group.
Sevilla
Julen Lopetegui’s Sevilla has nailed Group A with four wins from four, leaving Apoel, Qarabag and F91 Dudelange eight points adrift and all locked on four points.
The second place is up for grabs but the Andalusians can look forward to the knockout round, and prepare for this weekend’s trip to Real Betis for the Seville Derby.
Sevilla has a decent chance of a top four place in La Liga, but there are plenty of rivals to see off. And they love this competition, winning it three times on the bounce between 2014 and 2016.
Group J
What a battle we have in Group J, with one of the big guns in danger of missing out.
Bundesliga leaders Borussia Monchengladbach and Serie A giants Roma are trailing Istanbul Basaksehir by two points as they sit on five each, after Marcus Thuram scored a 95th minute winner for the Foals when they met in Germany last night.
Monchengladbach have a lot on their plate back home with their big rivals breathing down their necks, and head coach Marco Rose has Werder Bremen in his sights this weekend.
The Bundesliga is congested at the top and his priority is to secure a Champions League spot for 2020/21. Meanwhile Roma are ticking along okay in Serie A, currently third behind runaway top two clubs in Juventus and Inter Milan.
Keep an eye on the SBOBET odds for the next two rounds of matches, as both Roma and Monchengladbach have the Turkish leaders to play so they could still both qualify.
Lazio
Roma’s neighbours Lazio are fourth in Serie A — which is perhaps as well after they lost at home to Scottish Premier League club Celtic last night — with Olivier Ntcham scoring a 95th winner for the Celts.
Neil Lennon’s side looks set to qualify from Group E alongside Romanian side CFR 1907 Cluj, with Lazio stranded on three points.
Espanyol
Pablo Machin’s Espanyol are in a commanding position in Group H with ten points and four ahead of second place Ludogorets after thumping the Bulgarian side 6-0 with six different players on the score sheet.
The Europa League is a handy diversion for the Catalans who are having a torrid time in La Liga, second bottom on eight points and three from the safety mark.
While recent champions Sevilla and Manchester United can start to prepare for the Round of 32, there are plenty of matters still to be resolved in the group stages.
So keep it here at SBOBET for all the latest Europa League 2019 updates as we head towards the knockout stages.
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