The Europa League gets underway on Thursday 19 September and this season’s competition boasts a healthy presence of British teams. The group stages have been announced and it was a tricky draw for Scottish Premiership representatives Celtic and Rangers.
The Bhoys dropped into the running following an early exit from the Champions League, beaten by Cluj over two legs at the third qualifying round last month. Neil Lennon’s troops responded to that disappointment by hammering AIK 6-1 on aggregate to secure their Europa League group slot.
Big price outsiders for glory in Poland
Steven Gerrard’s Rangers joined at the first qualifying round of UEFA’s second-string competition but rallied to bag a place in the money-spinning group stages, beating St Joseph’s, Progres Neiderkorn, FC Midtjylland and Legia Warsaw in a campaign that began back in early July.
Neither side are expected to go close to winning the Europa League, as you would expect, but the betting to qualify from their groups makes for interesting reading and will hold punters’ attention between now and December. Celtic are 75/1 in the outright market, a price shared by their great rivals.
Celtic and Rennes to dispute second
Celtic, fresh from recording an upset win over Rangers in the first Old Firm derby of the season, have been added into Europa League Group E alongside Lazio, Rennes and Romanian champions CFR Cluj, the latter gifting the Glaswegians an early crack at gaining revenge.
The early call from traders on the Betfair Sportsbook has Lazio priced as winners of the group, with the Italians carrying a 4/6 quote. That means the battle for second place and qualification to the knockout stages of the competition is well and truly on.
It’s a fight Rennes are expected to win but there’s very little between two of the remaining three sides in the betting. Rennes are 3/1 to win Group E with Celtic marked up at 9/2 to finish on the top step. There’s a chunky 9/1 for those who believe Cluj can upset the market.
Anything is possible at this stage
Across the city, Rangers fans licked their lips after seeing their team’s heroics rewarded with a place in Group G. The Bears were added to a list including FC Porto, Feyenoord and Young Boys. Last season’s Scottish Premiership silver medallists were impressive during qualifying but now have their work cut out if they are to have any chance of securing knockout football.
Porto are odds-on favourites to win the group with the Betfair Sportsbook offering 10/11. That’s a confident stance from the trading team but we’ve already seen anything is possible in this competition, especially during the early rounds when teams struggle to juggle domestic commitments with Europa League involvement.
Feyenoord are second favourites to qualify as group winners and backers will find joy in the 3/1 offered. Rangers start their campaign with a 4/1 price attached and that’s sure to attract attention, especially from diehard followers of the 2008 UEFA Cup finalists. If the betting proves to be shrewd, Young Boys will end fourth, carrying the weight of a 6/1 call.
Bears picked to beat Feyenoord
On 19 September, a full round of fixtures takes place from 17:55 onwards. Celtic are away to Rennes and aim to lay down an early marker by beating the Ligue 1 side at Roazhon Park. The current betting available on the Betfair Sportsbook has the home cheer as 11/10 favourite against the 11/5 draw and 5/2 a win for Celtic.
Rangers bring the curtain up at Ibrox later that night when rolling out the red carpet for Feyenoord in a 20:00 start that will be shown live on BT Sport. Viewers will get a feel for what to expect from both teams by the conclusion of this match.
Traders put their faith in home advantage and Gerrard’s troops are 13/10 (Betfair Sportsbook) to bank a maximum pay-out on matchday one. There’s 19/10 about Feyenoord getting off to the perfect start and, if you can’t split them, the 23/10 on a draw will prove enticing.
Source: Betfair Europa League
