Top five favourites to win UEFA Conference League 2024-25

The Premier League giants will be the team to beat.

The 2024-25 European football season is currently underway and many clubs all over Europe have their sights set on the title of UEFA Conference League. The UEFA Conference League is almost like a third-tier European competition that started in 2021. Since then, the competition has seen some thrilling football matches and has crowned three champions – AS Roma, West Ham United and Olympiacos.

This edition of the competition will be played under a new format. Just like the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, the UEFA Conference League will also feature 36 teams that will fight to claim European silverware. Teams cannot transfer from the Europa League to the Conference League this season as well. The winners will be given a direct spot in next year’s Europa League league phase which makes this trophy even more desirable.

A lot of speculation has gone into predicting who will win the competition. Even though there are some formidable sides, here are the top five favourites to win the UEFA Conference League this season.

5. LASK

Linzer Athletik-Sport-Klub, commonly known as LASK is one of the favourites to win this year’s competition. Thomas Sageder has led this team brilliantly. Along with playing entertaining football, LASK have been very effective with its results as well.

The club finished third in the Austrian Bundesliga last season only behind Sturm Graz and eventual champions Red Bull Salzburg. Marin Ljubičić is the star of the team as he has already scored four goals in seven league games this season. The Croatian striker has shown enormous potential in his young career and will play a huge role for LASK in this competition.

4. FC Copenhagen

FC Copenhagen are one of the most successful Danish clubs in history. They come into this competition as potential favourites. Last season they missed out on the Danish Superliga by just three points and even managed to qualify for the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League.

Manager Jacob Neestrup has done a great job of getting the best out of his players. The club have also made some good signings this summer like Thomas Delaney from Sevilla and Rodrigo Huescas from Cruz Azul. They also have a relatively easy route to the knockout stage of the competition as Real Betis are the only team that can pose a threat to them.

3. ACF Fiorentina

Next, we have Italian giants Fiorentina. They have made the finals of this competition in the last two seasons and again will look to challenge for the European trophy. The club failed to qualify for any European Competitions initially but was given a spot in the UEFA Conference League after the governing body UEFA banned Juventus from all the European competitions.

Moise Kean has been the standout player of the team so far. He has already scored four goals this season. The club have also signed David de Gea on a free transfer. Despite having a slow start to this season, Fiorentina will still serve as one of the favourites to win this competition.

2. Real Betis

Managed by the veteran Manuel Pellegrini, Real Betis sit at Number two on our list. The Spanish side have impressed many fans with their attacking football in recent years. They will look to clinch their first-ever European title this season.

Real Betis will face Legia Warsaw, Copenhagen, Mladá Boleslav, Celje, Petrocub Hîncești, and HJK in the league phase. They are expected to finish in the top eight and directly qualify for the Round of 16.

However, the team will be without their star player Isco as he has been injured for quite some time now and is expected to return next year. However, Real Betis had made some big moves in the transfer market, having signed the likes of Giovani Lo Celso, Ricardo Rodriguez, and Vitor Roque. The squad is still good enough to make an impact in the competition.

1. Chelsea

Considering the quality of players Chelsea have, they should not be competing in the UEFA Conference League. But now that they are, they stand out as the favourites to win the tournament. Chelsea are the only club in history to win both the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League twice. Now they will look to complete the European treble by winning the UEFA Conference League.

Enzo Maresca has done a fine job so far. The Blues are enjoying a very good start to the season. They have scored 11 goals in their opening five league games already. After having two back-to-back underwhelming campaigns, Chelsea are all set to make a grand comeback in Europe with this competition.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Telegram.