Starting from the current season, the format of the Eurocup tournament has changed. Knowing how the soccer community is conservative to the changes it seems to many that it will fail. Moreover, critics see a lot of problems in it, which UEFA representatives do not think about in their opinion.
But will the changes only lead to difficulties or is there something else positive in them? Let’s try to understand together, having studied the new format of the Europa League in detail.
Features of the new format of the tournament
Bettors know that before making football tips prediction you need to carefully study the changes in the rules of the tournament. Then their bets on the passage of teams will be more accurate and will bring them success. Like the Champions League, the second most important European Cup has suffered similar changes. Now the tournament:
- 36 teams participate;
- all teams are divided into 4 baskets depending on the ranking;
- each team will play with 2 representatives of each of the baskets for 1 match;
- all matches will be played in the same week;
- the teams will have 4 matches at home and the same number of away matches;
- there will be an overall standings of 36 teams.
As you can see, the changes are quite unconventional. After 8 rounds, the first 8 teams go straight to the 1/8 finals. Teams from 9th to 24th place will play an additional round and the winners will compete with the top 8. Teams from 25th place leave the European Cup without the right to move to the Conference League.
Advantages of the new Europa League format
For clubs and fans to make correct score predictions, the new format offers several important advantages. Among them:
- more matches (and therefore more opportunities to make money);
- a common table will create more intrigue in the tournament;
- many teams of Champions League level will be in this tournament (e.g. Roma, Lazio, Eintracht, Athletic Bilbao, etc.);
- the fight for the Eurovision Song Contest will be more competitive (previously the teams that took the 3rd place in the groups went to the Conference League, now no one from the tournament will go there);
- preparation for the opponents for the Eurovision Song Contest becomes clear (due to the lack of transition of teams from the Champions League to the Europa League).
As you can see, the advantages are quite a lot for both fans and clubs. However, there are some fans and coaches who do not like the new format.
Disadvantages of the new format
Representatives of various sports and betting portals including xGscore.io note that not all soccer representatives liked the new format of the tournament. Many are wary because of:
- additional matches in the tournament;
- oversaturation of the soccer calendar;
- possible unfair distribution of places in the table (e.g. teams without playing each other take different places in the table);
- possible early departure from the Eurocups.
Coaches are especially concerned about the first 2 points. Top coaches have been saying for years that because of the overloaded schedule players are increasingly injured, but UEFA instead of simplifying the calendar adds additional matches. Of course, top clubs only start using key players in such tournaments in the later stages. But now even in the group stage, you can see matches of Roma-Athletic or Hoffenheim-Tottenham level. Therefore, the preparation of players will change.
Conclusion
Until the first tournament of the new format is held, it is extremely difficult to say whether it will cause such great difficulties for the players. But objectively the Europa League itself with this format becomes more interesting already in the first stages, because at seeding representatives of Germany and Spain can fall out of the 4 baskets, and Italy and England with 1 and 2. Therefore, in the current season, soccer and betting fans will have something to follow in the matches of the Europa League.
