The UEFA Europa League Round of 16 first leg matches are scheduled for this Thursday, March 8th, 2018, and the latest odds update is here, so we’ll take a closer look which teams could lift the Europa League trophy this season. The winner will receive a double prize, as along with the cup goes a ticket for the UEFA Champions League next season, so the stake is huge for the majority of these 16 teams.
ROUND OF 16 MATCHUPS
AC Milan vs. Arsenal
Atletico Madrid vs. Lokomotiv Moscow
Dortmund vs. Salzburg
CSKA Moscow vs. Lyon
Lazio vs. Dynamo Kiev
Marseille vs. Athletic Bilbao
RB Leipzig vs. Zenit Saint Petersburg
Sporting vs. Viktoria Plzen
ODDS TO WIN THE EUROPA LEAGUE
Atletico Madrid +210 Dortmund +650
Arsenal +650 Lazio +1000
RB Leipzig +1100 Lyon +1200
AC Milan +1200 Sporting +1600
Athletic Bilbao +2000 Marseille +2000
Zenit Saint Petersburg +4000 CSKA Moscow +4000
Dynamo Kiev +8000 Lokomotiv Moscow +12500
Salzburg +15000 Viktoria Plzen +15000
Atleti are leading the way, while some big guns are waiting in the ambush
Atletico Madrid is set by the bookies as the biggest favorites to win the title, not only because of their strong team but also for their experience in the big matches, while the manager Diego Simeone is certainly one of the best tacticians in the world at the moment. Under Simeone, Atleti won the Europa League in the 2011/2012 season, and two times in the previous four seasons they’ve played in the UEFA Champions League Finals, losing both times against their arch-rivals Real Madrid. Atletico Madrid is well-known for their hard-working play and reliable defense, while they are superior when it comes to the knock-out phase matches, so at +210 Atleti are looking like a reasonable choice.
Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal are both huge names, right behind Atletico Madrid at +650 to win it outright, while neither of these two teams hasn’t been convincing so far, particularly Arsenal who are really struggling in the English Premier League throughout the season. On the other side, Dortmund possesses a plenty of talent among the squad, but they are a pretty unpredictable team who had some drops in the performance earlier in the season. Lazio (+1000), Lyon (+1200), and AC Milan (+1200) are all clubs with the great heritage, capable of reaching the Europa League Finals, while AC Milan will have a difficult time in the Round of 16 against Arsenal. On the other side, Lazio and Lyon both face a tricky task, as the winter in Ukraine and Russia is cruel these days.
The underdogs and the potential surprises
RB Leipzig at +1100 maybe look like a serious candidate to win the Europa League, as they’ve managed to eliminate Napoli in the previous round, but the Red Bulls from Leipzig are a pretty inexperienced team, and they’ve shown some shortages in the second leg against Napoli. However, RB Leipzig prefers an attacking football, always looking to score more goals than their rivals, so they are always a tough opponent to beat. The French side Marseille are listed as +2000 underdogs to win the trophy, although they have a talented squad, and their form is quite decent throughout the season, but they will face Athletic Bilbao (+2000) in the Round of 16 which should be a tough challenge for both teams. The winner of this matchup will get a massive boost, and if Marseille gets it through, look after these guys.
Sporting Lisbon are +1600 favorites to win the Europa League, mostly because they play against Viktoria Plzen in the Round of 16, so the bookmakers expect them to win this matchup easily. The Lions are a good team, but they don’t look capable of beating the stronger sides like Atletico Madrid or Dortmund. Three Russian teams are still in the competition – Zenit Saint Petersburg (+4000), CSKA Moscow (+4000), and Lokomotiv Moscow (+12500), while neither of these three teams doesn’t seem serious enough to reach the Finals. Dynamo Kiev (+8000), Viktoria Plzen (+15000), and Salzburg (+15000) all have strong opponents in the Round of 16, so it would be a huge surprise if we see some of them even in the Quarter-Finals.
MY PICK: Atletico Madrid (+210)
ADDITIONAL PICK: Marseille (+2000)
