Europa League | League Phase Preview

It's time for our annual Europa League league phase preview! We start by discussing Italy's offering – Milan and Juventus – who should be tournament favorites. How good are they, and how much pressure should Italy feel to win the competition this year? We also spotlight a few clubs who have had notable summers. Leverkusen and Besiktas have spent lots of money to bring in attacking talent. How close are they to breaking through to contender status? Celtic have completed compelling business during the window, as well. Can they make noise under stalwart Martin O'Neill? Then we introduce our new, poorly-named segment: New Fun Kids To Watch (not creepy). Max picks 5 youngsters across the tournament loaded with promise and destined for big things. Keep the receipts! Next, David selects his favorite match-day 1 fixtures before we run through our league phase power rankings. Who lands in the top 8? Who falls outside knockouts qualification? Along the way, we touch on the unusual grouping of English sides, Bournemouth, Sunderland, and Palace, Benfica's claim as a tournament frontrunner, Union St Gilloise's ability to make a run, and Portuguese 2nd-tier Torreense's chances at competing. Finally, we make some bold predictions, including our winners of the whole competition. Cheers to everyone (except the French)! Timecodes: 00:00 – the start 02:13 – Italian favorites | Milan & Juventus 10:07 – teams to watch | Leverkusen, Besiktas, Celtic 22:17 – teams that might surprise | Union St Gilloise 24:31 – youngsters to watch 32:11 – best match-day 1 fixtures 37:15 – power rankings 50:24 – table surprise & we pick our winners