Europa League 2020/2021: British Team's Groups Analysed and Predicted

The new season has begun, which means that the European season will very shortly be upon us too. In this article, I will look at the five groups that feature and English or a Scottish team, analyse the teams, and predict who will finish where in the group.

All statistics correct at time of writing.

GROUP B:

TEAMS: Arsenal (London, England), Dundalk (Dundalk, Republic of Ireland), Molde (Molde, Norway), Rapid Vienna (Vienna, Austria).

This is a group that, on paper at least, should be relatively straightforward to predict. Arsenal will be happy, given this could have been worse, but there are some tricky teams still to get past.

The Gunners have had a mixed start to the season, with three wins in their opening five games, but only one of those wins has come in their last three games. They have also scored eight and conceded six, so they do have defensive issues still. However, once we see more from the likes of new signing Gabriel Magalhaes and defensive midfielder Thomas Partey, they could be more difficult to beat. This group shouldn't trouble them too much, and they should comfortably finish top.

This is Dundalk's second time in the Europa League group stages, and they will undoubtedly be the underdogs in this group and in the competition altogether. It is unlikely that they will win any games, but they could sneak a few points here and there. However, the most dangerous thing about them will be that they will just go for it in every game, knowing they have nothing to lose. They went out of the Champions League qualifying in the first round to Slovenian side Celje, which led to a change in management, but they do have a manager in Italian Filippo Giovagnoli who sees the Europa League as an opportunity for the club to show what they can do. One key player for them will be striker Patrick Hoban, who was the top scorer in the League of Ireland Premier Division when Dundalk were champions in 2019, so they will be relying on him to score goals in these games too. They are currently seventh in the league after 15 games, with seven wins, but are 13 points behind leaders Shamrock Rovers.

Norwegian side Molde are one of the teams who don't make too much of an impact on European football, but are one of the clubs who can trip other and perhaps better teams up. Their squad contains former Cardiff midfielder Magnus Wolff Eikrem, who is their captain, and he is a player who can create and score goals, with 20 to his name in the last two seasons. Last season, they finished the season top of the Eliteserien, 14 points ahead of second-placed Bodo/Glimt, and they only lost four of their 30 games. This season, they have not been as good, with seven losses, and sit second, 16 points behind Bodo/Glimt. It looks very unlikely that they will keep their domestic crown, but that means they will likely throw everything they can at the Europa League, making them a very dangerous opponent.

The final team in this group is Rapid Vienna. The Austrian Bundesliga runners-up last season, who finished 12 points behind Red Bull Salzburg, have a good squad, and will be a definite threat to their opponents this season. They have started this season in good form, with three wins and one draw in their opening four games, and sit two points behind Salzburg at the top. The player that the other teams will need to watch out for in their squad this season is Greece striker Taxiarchas Fountas, who has scored 23 goals since his move to the Austrian capital from St. Polten in 2019. It is likely that they will be battling Molde for second place in the table, and the games between those two will likely decide who advances and who falls at this hurdle.

GROUP D:

TEAMS: Benfica (Lisbon, Portugal), Lech Poznan (Poznan, Poland), Rangers (Glasgow, Scotland), Standard Liege (Liege, Belgium).

This is a tough group, with plenty of talent on show from all four teams. It looks like Rangers will struggle to pick up many points, but they always surprise us in European games, just as they did last season. It will be difficult for them, but there is a chance for them to get into the knockout stages.

Benfica are the team that most will expect to get through, probably as group winners. They ended last season as runners-up in the Primeira Liga, behind Porto by five points. However, they only lost five games out of 34, so that shows they are a difficult side to beat. This season, they have started in very good form, having won all four of their opening games, scoring 13, conceding three, and lead Porto by five points. Their squad is full of quality too, with the likes of left-back Alex Grimaldo, former Tottenham centre-back Jan Vertonghen, Switzerland striker Haris Seferovic, Greece midfielder Andreas Samaris, former Manchester City defender Nicolas Otamendi, and another Greece international, goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos all among their team. With these players, it is hard to see them finishing anywhere other than top.

Lech Poznan could be the team to finish bottom of the group, although they are still a good team. Last season, they finished second in the Ekstraklasa, three points behind champions Legia Warsaw, but were unbeaten in their final five games, with four wins and one draw. That shows you that they never give in until the final whistle has been blown, and that makes them a dangerous side to play, particularly as they are another team with nothing to lose. Swedish striker Mikael Ishak has scored four goals in five games this season, following his move to Nurenberg this year, so he will be the player to keep quiet for the other teams in the group. Poznan have started this season with two wins, two draws and two losses, and sit ninth in the league, although those wins and draws have all come in their last four games. Therefore, we can see that, even when they look to be down and out, they keep fighting, and that is their biggest strength.

Rangers, as mentioned, are a team that always surprise in the Europa League, gaining points against teams you wouldn't immediately think they could get anything off. We know they have quality in their squad, with Alfredo Morelos still at Ibrox, despite continually being linked with a move away. Last season, they finished second in the Scottish Premier League, but this season they are currently top, and are unbeaten, four points ahead of Celtic. Last season, they did well in their Europa League group, only losing away at Swiss side Young Boys, and then defeated Braga before going out to Bayer Leverkusen in the Round of 16. However, that was when they were below Celtic in the table; now they are above their fierce rivals, so will that mean that they won't give as much to the Europa League? That is a question we will very shortly have an answer for.

The final team in the group is Standard Liege. Standard are the team likely to be battling Rangers for second place in the group. They finished fifth in the Belgian Pro League last year, and don't have any star players; it is more of a team effort with them. This season, they have started in better form, winning five of their opening nine games, and sit fourth in the league. They and Rangers meet in the first round in Belgium, and it is likely that this will give us an indication of which team is more likely to take second place in the group.

GROUP G:

TEAMS: AEK Athens (Athens, Greece), Leicester City (Leicester, England), Sporting Braga (Braga, Portugal), Zorya Luhansk (Luhansk, Ukraine).

Leicester City have previously played in the Champions League, and got close to making their return to Europe's top table, however a faltering season meant that they ended up in the Europa League instead. The draw gave them three teams who will give them problems, but, with the quality that the Foxes have in the team, it is likely that they will finish at least second, but possibly top of this group.

AEK Athens are another one of those teams that like to give their opponents problems, whilst not advancing too far into the competition. They finished last season in third place in the Greek Super League, behind champions Olympiakos and runners-up PAOK. However, they were only four points behind PAOK, and were 11 points ahead of fourth-placed Panathinaikos, so they are closer to the top teams than the rest of the league in terms of quality, and should not be underestimated. They have former Swansea and Norwich striker Nelson Oliveira in their team, and he has scored 14 goals since his move there from Carrow Road in 2019. This season, they have started well, with two wins, one draw and one loss in their first four games, and sit fifth in the league, six points off leaders Aris.

Leicester are a team that we know have quality, and, as mentioned, they should have enough to top the group, but will definitely be in the top two. They have made some good signings this summer, but needed to bring in another striker, with Jamie Vardy out injured; the Foxes lack a punch at the top of the pitch without him. However, if they can get Kelechi Iheanacho scoring more consistently, instead of being the impact player that he currently is, then they will be fine. They have been lukewarm so far in the Premier League, but the Europa League offers them a chance to have a go and find some form. Rotation might be a problem, with their squad lacking much depth when you take out the first-choice players, but let's see whether that is a problem or not as the season goes on.

Braga are used to facing British sides, having played Manchester United in the Champions League a good few seasons ago, and exiting the Europa League in the Round of 32 to Rangers in last season's competition. They are a team with a good number of players who have the ability to cause problems for opponents, and could take points off teams who would probably be expected to beat them. Those players include Argentina forward Nico Gaitan, who can play anywhere across the front three, however he is 32 now and hasn't scored for a few seasons. What he does bring is the ability to provide a spark when Braga need one. They don't have a player who can be relied upon for goals consistently, like the other teams have, so that might be the thing that hurts them in this group. Should Leicester finish top, it will likely be between them and AEK Athens to see who joins the Foxes in the knockout stages.

The team completing the group is Zorya Luhansk. In 2016/2017, they were in Manchester United's Europa League group, and are now set to face Leicester in this season's competition. The Ukrainian side finished bottom of the group in 2016/2017, failing to win a game, but come into this season having finished third in the Ukrainian Premier League last season, and they are arguably the third-best team in Ukraine. They have started this season in poor form, winning only one of their opening six games, so it does seem likely that they will finish bottom of the table. However, they will still give everything a go, and that is what the other three teams will need to be wary of.

GROUP H:

TEAMS: Celtic (Glasgow, Scotland), Lille (Lille, France), AC Milan (Milan, Italy), Sparta Prague (Prague, Czechia).

This is another very difficult group to predict, because all four teams have genuine quality, and all four are Champions League standard. However, all four missed out on Europe's premier competition, and have found themselves here. It is likely that Lille will make it into the knockout stages, along with AC Milan, but it really will come down to who is in form, and who beats who.

Celtic may have been dominant in Scottish football for most of the 2010's, but their European record is not overly impressive at all. This season, they were knocked out of the Champions League in the second qualifying round, at the hands of Hungarian champions Ferencvaros. However, they then played Latvian side Riga and Bosnian side FK Sarajevo in the final Europa League qualifying games to make it into this group. They have a good side, but have not been as dominant in the Scottish Premier League this season, with off-field matters possibly being part of the reason for that. As far as this group goes, it is hard to see them finishing in the top two, because they will need to beat AC Milan and Lille at least once to have any hope of doing that, and, at the moment at least, that seems unlikely.

Lille have been one of the better sides in French football over the past seasons, but, with Marseille and Rennes doing as well as they did last season, they have had to settle for the Europa League. They finished in fourth place in 2019/2020, only one point behind Rennes, and eight ahead of Nice in fifth place, so they are a strong team, with a lot of quality in their team; the likes of highly-rated Canada forward Jonathan David, experienced Turkey striker Burak Yilmaz, Portugal midfielder Renato Sanches and France midfielder Boubakary Soumare are all in their team. Therefore, they are have creativity and can score plenty of goals, and will carry a threat against all of the other teams in the group. This season, they have been in blistering form, with five wins and two draws in their opening seven games, scoring 13 and conceding just two. If they can carry this form into their Europa League games, it is highly likely they will top this group.

AC Milan have been a team in resurgence, after a period of being a "middling team" in Italian football. However, they have shown some of the old AC Milan in recent seasons, which has been good to see. They might not be at the level required to take on Juventus yet, but they ended last season in sixth place in Serie A, ahead of Napoli by four points. Given Napoli were in the Champions League last season, that shows you how the Rossoneri are making their comeback. This has been helped by the quality of their squad, with Algeria midfielder Ismael Bennacer, Turkey forward Hakan Calhanoglu and Croatia forward Ante Rebic all in their team. However, they also have Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic in their team, which guarantees goals, as well as highly-rated Real Madrid midfielder Brahim Diaz, who is on loan at Milan for this season. Therefore, it is clear how good a team they are, and what a threat they will bring to all their games in this group. This season, they have started with four wins from four, having scored nine goals and conceded just one, further highlighting how much they are making a comeback.

Making up this group is Sparta Prague, who are likely to end up battling Celtic to not finish bottom of the group. Last season, they won the Czech First League, losing just twice, but the Europa League is a completely different quality for them. They have started this season with six wins from six games, but have conceded six goals, so, on average, one a game. In the Czech league, this is fine, but in the Europa League, it is likely to cost them, particularly against strong teams like Lille and AC Milan. Their squad includes former Sunderland midfielder David Moberg Karlsson, who scored 18 goals in two seasons at Swedish club IFK Norrkoping between 2016 and 2018, and has scored seven since his move in January 2019 to Prague. Therefore, he will carry a threat, and will need to be watched. Another is former Aston Villa striker Libor Kozak, who has scored 15 goals since his move to the club in the summer of 2019. Therefore, they have goal threats, but the question is whether this will be enough.

GROUP J:

TEAMS: LASK (Linz, Austria), Ludogorets Razgrad (Razgrad, Bulgaria), Royal Antwerp (Antwerp, Belgium), Tottenham Hotspur (London, England).

?This group is another relatively simple one, and Tottenham should be thanking their lucky stars that they weren't given a tougher group, like both Celtic and Rangers have found themselves in. There is no question that Spurs should finish at the top, with the fight for second open between all three of the other teams.

LASK finished last season fourth in the Austrian Bundesliga, only two points behind third-placed Wolfsberger, and five behind runners-up Rapid Vienna. Therefore, they are definitely one of the better sides in the league, but they lack a player who has the ability to get into double figures for goals in a season. To succeed in either European competition, this is a must for all teams. This season, they have started in mixed form, lying fifth in the league, with two wins, one draw and one loss, but have scored five and conceded five. This shows that they are very leaky at the back, and this plus the lack of proven goalscorer in the team might be enough to count them out of a second-place finish in this group.

Ludogorets Razgrad have faced English opposition before, when they were in Liverpool's Champions League group back in 2014/2015, holding the now-Premier League champions to a 2-2 draw in Razgrad. Therefore, they are not a team to be underestimated. They finished as champions of the Bulgarian First League last season, losing just one game, and have started this season in relatively good form, having lost just one game, and sit second, two points behind leaders Lokomotiv Plovdiv. Their main threat will come from Bulgaria forward Kiril Despodov, who has joined on loan from Italian side Cagliari for this season. He is a very highly-rated player, and can play as a winger or a striker. Congo striker Mavis Tchibota is also likely to be a threat, having scored nine goals since his move from Israeli side Bnei Yehuda in 2019. They have a chance of finishing second in the group, but will need to play well in every game to make that chance count.

Royal Antwerp are a team who have come into the Europa League under the radar a little, finishing fourth in the Belgian Pro League last season, four points ahead of Standard Liege, but only one point behind third-placed Charleroi and two points behind Genk. Therefore, they are most definitely not a team to be taken lightly, and will prove the be tricky opponents for all the other sides in this group. Their squad contains players like former Leicester and Aston Villa defender Ritchie de Laet and experienced former Norwich and Hull striker Dieumerci Mbokani, with the Congo international having scored 31 goals for the club since his move to Antwerp in 2018. However, as well as Mbokani, the main threat will come from another experienced player, Israel international Lior Refaelov, who can play as a winger or an attacking midfielder, and who has scored 12 goals since his move to the club in 2019. These two combined will prove to be a handful for the other teams in the group, and they are the team most likely to finish second in the group and advance to the knockouts with Tottenham.

Talking of the English club, we can see now that this is a Jose Mourinho team now. He has made the signings he wanted, with the biggest being the re-signing of Wales international Gareth Bale on a season-long loan from Real Madrid. Mourinho has always been a fan of Bale, having tried to bring him to Old Trafford during his time as Manchester United manager. When you think about Son Heung-min, Harry Kane and Bale as a forward line attacking unit, it really makes other teams start to worry. They have started fairly well in the Premier League, but there is still room for improvement, however that will come as all their new signings gain confidence and start to really show what they can do. There is no doubting that they should finish top of this group.

This article has given us a look at the five groups containing British teams, and we can see how the English teams all have groups which will ask questions of them, but they should also come through and win those groups. However, the Scottish teams will both probably struggle, although Rangers have the better chance of scraping into the knockouts if they can make results go their way. The group stages start tonight, so we don't have long to wait to see how these groups will start to look.