The favourites to win the 2024/25 Europa League - ranked

The Europa League may lack the prestige of its more glamorous brother but it regularly hosts some of Europe's most high-profile clubs.

In last season's Europa League, the likes of Liverpool, Bayer Leverkusen, Roma and eventual champions Atalanta all took part, and some of the continent's big-hitters will be turning out in the competition for the 2024/25 campaign.

The victor not only secures a European trophy and a welcomed financial boost but also guarantee their place in the Champions League for the following season. Those are not prizes to be sniffed at and 36 sides will be competing for them this term.

Here are 90min's favourites to win the new-look Europa League - ranked.

10. Roma

Jose Mourinho's departure during last season helped Roma turn a corner, with club legend Daniele De Rossi propelling the club forward after succeeding the divisive Portuguese coach. However, surprisingly, he's been let go, as has his replacement, Ivan Juric.

To say that the capital side are struggling in 2024/25 would be an understatement and they now need stability after a period of turbulence. Enter: Claudio Ranieri.

Their European campaign has proven as disappointing as their domestic one but they still boast a squad capable of claiming the Europa League title. In Artem Dovbyk, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Paulo Dybala and Mats Hummels, they have some phenomenal talents.

9. Lyon

Pierre Sage has steadied the ship at Lyon after a difficult start to the 2023/24 campaign. The French giants finished the season in sixth despite winning just one of their first 14 Ligue 1 matches and they have carried their confidence into the new term.

Lyon remain some distance off their former selves - they reached the Champions League semi-final in 2019/20 - but they are making positive strides, evidenced by their early Ligue 1 and Europa League performances.

An impressive forward line contains talisman Alexandre Lacazette, as well as exciting youngster Malick Fofana, Said Benrahma and Euro 2024 star Georges Mikautadze. They will be tough to overcome in Europe this term.

8. Real Sociedad

Real Sociedad were another side who reached the knockout stage of the 2023/24 Champions League. The La Liga outfit topped their group ahead of Benfica and 2022/23 finalists Inter but were undone by a star-studded Paris Saint-Germain side in the last 16.

The departures of Robin Le Normand and Mikel Merino have undoubtedly made Sociedad weaker but they have managed to keep hold of some important players elsewhere, most notably Martin Zubimendi amid interest from Liverpool, Arsenal and Barcelona.

They have made a mediocre start to the current campaign, especially in Europe, but Imanol Alguacil's team has an abundance of talent and the possibility to upset the odds in a competition in which Spanish sides have thrived in recent years.

7. Ajax

There's work for Ajax to do if they're to reclaim their Eredivisie crown, but the Dutch giants are in as good a place as they've been in years with Francesco Farioli at the helm.

The highly regarded Italian manager has enjoyed an impressive start to his tenure. Ajax are playing some wonderful stuff, and their productive start to the leegue phase suggests they're a contender.

This iteration of Ajax may lack experience on the continental stage, but heritage counts for plenty and the Amsterdamers have it in abundance. They were beaten finalists in 2017 and are regulars in the knockout stage.

6. Eintracht Frankfurt

Eintracht Frankfurt have made an amazing start to the 2024/25 campaign under former Bayern Munich assistant Dino Toppmoller. Their flying in the Bundesliga and have made an encouraging beginning to their Europa League journey - a competition they won in 2021/22.

In Omar Marmoush, they have one of Europe's most in-form forwards - who has also excelled on the continent - and the Eagles have already taken points off Champions League outfits Stuttgart and Bayern this term in the Bundesliga.

They have the possibility to repeat their 2021/22 heroics if they can maintain their impressive form.

5. Galatasaray

Galatasaray proved their worth in European competition in 2023/24, picking up some impressive results in the Champions League and almost qualifying for the knockout stages. However, this season gives them the chance to go a step further in the Europa League instead.

Okan Buruk has got the Turkish champions playing some excellent, forward-thinking football and their incredible form has carried on in 2024/25. Having secured the surprise loan signing of Victor Osimhen over the summer, the sky is the limit for Gala in Europe's secondary competition.

Goals are not going to be an issue for Buruk's side but they may need to sharpen up defensively to enter the latter stages of the competition.

4. Lazio

It was a tumultuous campaign for Lazio in 2023/24 but they still managed to qualify for the Europa League with a seventh-placed Serie A finish. Their league form was disappointing but they did reach the Coppa Italia semi-final and Champions League round of 16.

They lost some important players during the summer transfer window, including Ciro Immobile, Felipe Anderson and Luis Alberto, but the appointment of manager Marco Baroni and a wave of new arrivals have lifted spirits in Rome.

Lazio's recent European record leaves a lot to be desired but they have started the season in bright form, with four wins from their opening five matches in the Europa League and some impressive results in Serie A.

3. Athletic Club

Real Sociedad's Basque rivals Athletic Club are also among the competition's strongest sides, buoyed by their historic Copa del Rey triumph in 2023/24. Under Ernesto Valverde, they have proved a difficult side to conquer.

The club have never won a European trophy and will be hard pushed to do so this season considering some of the impressive sides they will be competing with, but only Real Madrid conceded fewer goals than them in La Liga last season.

They are a tough side to break down and boast the likes of Nico Williams, Inaki Williams and Oihan Sancet in the final third, players that have already made them incredibly challenging opposition during the 2024/25 season.

2. Manchester United

Manchester United have spent more seasons than they would have liked in the Europa League over the past decade, winning the competition in 2017 and reaching the final in 2021. Thanks to their FA Cup triumph last term, they are competing in it again in 2024/25.

Despite being considered favourites prior to the kick of a ball, a slow start to the season under former manager Erik ten Hag has left them playing catch-up in Europe and the Premier League. Their star-studded squad is failing to deliver.

However, the arrival of Ruben Amorim offers fresh hope. The young Portuguese coach worked wonders with Sporting and will be eyeing the Europa League as the perfect battleground in which to make United competitive on the continent.

1. Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham's long wait for silverware - domestic and European - continued in 2023/24 during Ange Postecoglou's first season at the helm. However, a positive transformation under the Australian has certainly moved them closer to ending their trophy drought.

While Spurs were disappointed to miss out on Champions League qualification last season, it could prove a blessing in disguise. The Europa League offers them a genuine opportunity to win a European competition, something they haven't managed since 1984.

Juggling the Premier League and Europe has already proved difficult in 2024/25 as Spurs struggle for consistency, but their talented squad and Postecoglou's second-season record boost the Lilywhites' chances of winning an elusive trophy.

READ THE LATEST EUROPA LEAGUE NEWS, PREVIEWS & RATINGS HERE