May 22, 2024, in Dublin is the destination but only two sides can be there.
Who knows, perhaps either or both finalists aren’t even in the competition yet, (teams that finish third in the Champions League group stages are, bizarrely, granted a place in the Europa League knockout stages).
Yet the Irish capital is the aim for leading club as we await the start of 2023-24 Europa League highlights next week.
Now it’s quite clear who the favourites are. Assess the groups and West Ham, Ajax, Rangers, Atalanta, Villarreal, Liverpool, Roma and Bayer Leverkusen are the top seeded teams in their respective groups and it would be a mighty shock if they do not survive the autumn and reach the stage where it really starts to get interesting.
Take a look at the SBOTOP Europa League betting odds and you will see the same.
Yet the likes of Sporting Lisbon, Real Betis, Marseille and Brighton will all be hopeful of progressing deep into the competition.
That Ajax, Marseille and Brighton are in the same group is unfortunate given some of the other seemingly weak groups.
And then there’s Sevilla, the Andalusians who lifted the trophy for a record seventh time in May in dramatic fashion, who may yet reappear in the competition if their Champions League campaign does not go to plan.
Or what of Roma, whose final defeat last season was the first Jose Mourinho ever suffered on the European stage and will surely see them seeking redemption.
There’s certainly plenty to look forward to and some closely matched outfits.
A real battle
So many group games can be uninspiring and one-sided.
Well, a pool of Ajax (finalists in 2017 and four-time former European champions), Marseille, ever improving Brighton (appearing in Europe for the first time in their history) and AEK Athens will not allow any room for manoeuvre.
In the case of the south coast club, it truly is a fairytale story.
Their season-long loan capture of Ansu Fati on transfer deadline day has captured the imagination and there should be a terrific atmosphere as they welcome two former European champions to the seaside.
To put this into context, this is the club which only preserved their league status on goals scored in the 1996-97 season.
And that being immediately followed by the homelessness and two seasons in exile at Gillingham with crowds dropping to as low as 1,025 before the start of the renaissance under Micky Adams.
The return to the city and the leafy Withdean athletics stadium followed, before owner Tony Bloom’s ‘if you build it, they will come’ vision for the American Express Community Stadium at Falmer.
Come they duly did, and fans have seen the club ascend to the Premier League and now, under Roberto De Zerbi, will get to watch European football for the first time, with a home game against AEK being the baptism.
Furthermore, Ajax and Marseille have also had several heated encounters over the years and their clashes are highly anticipated.
Four into two don’t go so each pool game between these sides has the potential to be crucial.
Some new rivalries?
Away from the glamour draw of Group B, comes the polar opposite in Group E as Liverpool will meet LASK of Austria, Union Saint-Gilloise of Belgium and French Cup holders Toulouse.
While it’s unlikely there will be any clashes for the ages here, there will be a family touch.
Indeed, the Mac Allister family may have mixed emotions as Liverpool midfielder Alexis comes face-to-face with his brother Kevin, who is a defender for Union Saint-Gilloise.
Big arrivals in the spring
That is guaranteed, given there can be shocks at any time but also, the fact that two Champions League groups are bound to create casualties and big clubs who will inevitably drop down to the Europa League.
One of Feyenoord, Atletico Madrid, Lazio or Celtic will be in the competition, as will one of Paris St Germain, Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan or Newcastle by next February.
So, with a respectful nod to some groups. while I understand why you may not to get carried away in the first few months of Europa League action, there is potential for some real tasty encounter encounters after the winter.
Any competition that can throw up Manchester United v Barcelona as a last-32 tie (as it did last season) makes for compelling fare.
Finally, for those who like their history, Dublin was the venue for the all-Portuguese final of 2011 between Porto and Braga, when Radamel Falcao scored the only goal as the Dragons took the trophy.
The road to Dublin begins here in earnest.
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