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The knockout stages of the 2022/23 UEFA Europa League season will be underway in less than a month. This season's tournament has the potential to give us a number of thrilling contests.
Many big names will be fighting for the title as a number of top clubs have been relegated to the Europa League from the Champions League. These include FC Barcelona, Juventus, Ajax, and Sevilla FC.
Arsenal qualified through the group stages, securing five wins out of their six games. Manchester United have also managed to win five of their six Europa League group-stage matches.
With that in mind, we’ve compiled a power ranking of the top five clubs that are the favorites for this season's UEFA Europa League title.
5 favorites for the Europa League this season
5. AFC Ajax
Ajax were relegated to the UEFA Europa League after finishing third in Group A of the Champions League. It was a tough group, as it had Liverpool, Napoli, and Rangers.
Ajax were hammered by both Liverpool and in-form Napoli and were only able to gain six points by defeating Rangers in both matches. They scored 11 goals while conceding 16.
They are currently fifth in the Eredivisie, five points off leaders PSV. They lost manager Erik Ten Hag to Manchester United. Alfred Schreuder came in from Club Brugge and has done a decent job so far given the departures.
However, the Dutch giants still have some great players. Brian Brobbey has scored eight goals in the Eredivisie so far; the second-highest in the league. Dusan Tadic also has 10 assists in the domestic league. Jurrien Timber was highly sought after in last summer's transfer market but the club allowed only one of their prized centre-backs — Lisandro Martinez — to leave.
If Schreuder can get his players firing again, they will surely be able to go deep in the tournament.
4. Juventus F.C
It may seem absurd to name Juventus as one of the favorites to win any tournament due to their mediocre performances in the first half of the season. They were relegated to the Europa League after securing just one win in Group H of the Champions League.
They also dropped to tenth in Serie A after a deduction of 15 points due to the case of capital gains. Due to these reasons, their morale will be low at the moment.
However, they've still got the experience to go all the way in the Europa League.
They have been in decent touch recently and were third in the league before the points deduction. They have scored 30 goals and have a goal difference of 15 (third-best in the league).
With Federico Chiesa recently returning from a long-term injury and having World Cup winners in Angel di Maria and Leandro Parades, the Old Lady may just find her footing once again.
3. F.C Barcelona
The Blaugrana are in great form at the moment and are surely going deep in this season's Europa League. Many would argue that they are the top favorites but they have their weaknesses too. They failed to perform in the Champions League with Inter Milan and Bayern Munich qualifying for the knockouts.
However, Barca recently defeated Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final by three goals to one and are currently sitting at the top of the table in La Liga.
They are now considered one of the favorites to win the Europa League title, especially with Robert Lewandowski playing exceptionally well. He has already scored 13 goals in La Liga this season and is the favorite to win the Pichichi trophy.
Barcelona also have the best domestic defensive record in Europe, having conceded just six goals in 17 matches so far.
With their entire squad now injury free and available for selection, it will be difficult to stop Barca from claiming their first European title in eight years.
2. Manchester United F.C
Manchester United's resurgance under Erik ten Hag makes them one of the front-runners for the Europa League title this season.
The Red Devils finished second behind Real Sociedad on goal difference and now face the uphill task of defeating Barca in the round of 32. However, the tie is finely balanced as the Red Devils have been in great form off late.
Erik Ten Hag has changed the dynamics of this team since joining at the start of the season. They are in a position to finish inside the Champions League places in the Premier League.
Marcus Rashford has thrived under Ten Hag as he has already scored 20 goals for club and country this season. The 25-year-old will have to play an integral role in the UEFA Europa League campaign if his team is to go all the way and end their six-year trophy drought.
1. Arsenal F.C
Arsenal are the favorites to win the Europa League this season. The Gunners are the Premier League leaders with 50 points from 19 games, five more than second-placed Manchester City with a game in hand. Their performances this season have been out of this world.
Trust in Mikel Arteta has paid off for the Gunners as he has led Arsenal to new heights. No one considered them the title contenders but they have proved everyone wrong.
Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Eddie Nketiah, William Saliba, along with every other player on the team, have played their role perfectly. Arsenal have the perfect squad needed to compete at the top level of football.
They will surely play Champions League football next season and have everything they need to win the UEFA Europa League this season.
