Europa League and Europa Conference League outright predictions: United the class of Europa field

Best bets

Manchester United to win the Europa League
1pt 15-2 BoyleSports

Villarreal to win the Europa Conference League
1pt 4-1 Betfair, Power, Hills

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Europa League preview

Manchester United paid a heavy price for not winning their Europa League group but back them to overcome Barcelona and go on to win the trophy for a second time in six years.

Erik ten Hag's ever-improving side finished second behind Real Sociedad during the group-stage campaign which meant a playoff-round tie against one of the Champions League discards – and discards don't come much harder than La Liga leaders Barcelona.

To be fair, United would have had a test whoever they drew with the likes of Juventus, Ajax, Sporting Lisbon and Leverkusen all dropping out of the Champions League.

And it means the octet of group winners who are spared the playoff round – the likes of Arsenal, Freiburg and the aforementioned Sociedad – can sit back, enjoy the carnage and wait for the draw for the last 16 on February 24.

United should be in that draw as Ten Hag transforms them into a Premier League and, therefore, European powerhouse.

The Dutchman has certainly figured out the art of knockout football – they are still in the FA Cup and have a League Cup final to look forward to – while they have lost just one match in over three months.

The jettisoning of the likes of Paul Pogba and Cristiano Ronaldo has enabled Ten Hag to put his stamp on the team and he has improved the likes of Marcus Rashford, Luke Shaw and Diogo Dalot while even Jadon Sancho appears to have his mojo back.

It's a classy competition this year full of big names though on closer analysis you'd probably only think there are three or four genuine contenders and United are definitely one of those.

One of the others would have to be Premier League pacesetters Arsenal given the success of English teams in reaching the latter stages of European events.

However, the drive for league glory might become such a distraction for manager Mikel Arteta, whose squad doesn't look deep enough to perform at their very best on two fronts.

Juventus, who would be second in Serie A but for a points deduction, should be able to take care of Nantes and move on, while the Spanish pair of Sociedad and Betis will doubtless have their backers.

The Basques are splitting the Madrid sides in La Liga currently while Betis have to fancy themselves after taking four points off Roma in the group stage.

Europa Conference League preview

The Conference League is inevitably less star-studded as evidenced by the fact that West Ham are favourites on a few books.

West Ham, as Europa League semi-finalists last year and with a bye to the last 16, will inevitably fancy their chances.

But railed against them are a pair of Serie A sides headed by Lazio, a trio of decent Turkish outfits, a Braga team on course to break Portugal's triopoly this season and Didier Digard's in-form Nice.

And arguably best of the lot are 2020-21 Europa League winners Villarreal. Spain has a proud record of winning Europe's knockout cups and the Yellow Submarine fit the bill.

Quique Setien may well have left-back Alfonso Pedraza, striker Nicolas Jackson and Spurs loanee Giovani Lo Celso back by the time they are next in European action and Villarreal must be a real threat.

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