Europa League 2025-26

[eamonn]

Yeah, hope you're right. Just feels a bit flat at the moment.

[Garyth]

Proposed A List below. Now we have let JJ go we can only do a max of 21 names. Kosta, Garcia and Barkley are some names who could be removed to make space for others. (edit: I think Bogarde is still B list qualification due to age but would fit into the home grown on A if he doesn't).
[....]

Who are the B-list players that might conceivably get game time?

Last season we had front-line players backing up from premier league games, getting minutes in latter part of games. Ideally, since it's a lower level we might use Hemming, Rowe, Jimoh-Aloba etc and give more rest to the remainder of the squad. Obviously it would depend on game state, but an advantage of being in Europa League is that we probably aren't forced to field our best players every mid-week.

[john e]

Apart from the league this is the most important competition this season
Obviously a long awaited Trophy and access into the champions league both massive for the club

[rougegorge]

With the final play-off rounds to come, as it stands, we could just get into Pot 1 but as Somniloquism has pointed out there are quite a few ifs and buts yet...e.g. if Fenerbahce beat Benfica in CL qualifying, we will go to Pot 2.

Clubs in Bold are definitely in the Europa League, the rest are projected.

Pot 1
Roma
Porto
Rangers
Feyenoord
Lille
Dinamo Zagreb
Real Betis
Salzburg
Aston Villa

Pot 2
Fenerbahce.
Braga
Lyon
PAOK Salonika
Viktoria Plzen
Maccabi Tel Aviv
Slovan Bratislava
Basel
Midtjylland

Pot 3
Qarabag
Freiburg
Ludogorets
Nottingham Forest
Sturm Graz
FCSB
Nice
Bologna
Celta Vigo

Pot 4
Stuttgart
Panathinaikos
Malmo
Go Ahead Eagles
Utrecht
Genk
Pafos
AEK Larnaca
Kairat Almaty

The alternatives for those clubs above which have not yet definitely qualified are:
Losers from Champions League Play-Off round

Bodo Glimt (Sturm Graz)
Ferencvaros (Qarabag)
Celtic (Kairat)
Club Brugge (Rangers)
Copenhagen (Basel)
Red Star Belgrade (Pafos)
Fenerbahce (Benfica)

Winners from Europa League Play-Off Round

Young Boys (Slovan Bratislava)
Samsunspor (Panathinaikos)
Lech Poznan (Genk)
Aberdeen (FCSB)
Sigma Olomouc (Malmo)
Shkendija (Ludogorets)
Dynamo Kyiv (Maccabi Tel Aviv)
Rijeka (PAOK)
Brann Bergen (AEK Larnaca)
Lincoln Red Imps (Braga)
KuPS (Midtjylland)
Zrinjski (Utrecht)

Of course, it's quite likely some of those teams will either lose their CL play-off, or win their Europa League play-off and then the make up of the Pots will change.

[Somniloquism]

With the final play-off rounds to come, as it stands, we could just get into Pot 1 but as Somniloquism has pointed out there are quite a few ifs and buts yet...e.g. if Fenerbahce beat Benfica in CL qualifying, we will go to Pot 2.

Last night on the Wiki they stated 8 teams per pot and us moved to Pot 2 only. Now seems to have been changed and reverted back to a flux 1/2. schrodinger's Villa.

[AV82EC]

Is it me or does the Europa League look “stronger” this year than last year? I realise these things are somewhat subjective but I’m pretty sure last seasons comp looked weaker.

It’s a bit like our Conf League season, that was far stronger than anything Chelsea faced last season.

[Somniloquism]

Conf league was stronger our year as the Europa 3rd placed teams dropped as well (plus we didn't have the luxury of a squad to finish 4th in the league and a whole other squad for Conference, if we had, we wouldn't have tired).

Looking at the Europa though, mostly the same teams or comparable to last season so about the same so far.

[AV82EC]

Conf league was stronger our year as the Europa 3rd placed teams dropped as well (plus we didn't have the luxury of a squad to finish 4th in the league and a whole other squad for Conference, if we had, we wouldn't have tired).

Looking at the Europa though, mostly the same teams or comparable to last season so about the same so far.

Thanks Som. yep I’d forgotten we still had the 3rd place dropouts when we were in the Conf.

[Meanwood Villa]

1-3 home defeat makes it look likely the fascists will drop into Europa.

Ferencvaros could too.

[Percy McCarthy]

1-3 home defeat makes it look likely the fascists will drop into Europa.

Ferencvaros could too.

Blimey, I hope we don’t get them.

[ADVILLAFAN]

Not only would it be horrible playing those 'Ban the Boat' knobheads, but we can't even tick off a new team played (knocked them out of the FA Cup in 1887).

[Dave]

Just like for a time we were "Steven Gerrard's Aston Villa", it's important to give them their full name of "Robbie Keane's Ferencvaros"

[DeKuip]

With the final play-off rounds to come, as it stands, we could just get into Pot 1 but as Somniloquism has pointed out there are quite a few ifs and buts yet...e.g. if Fenerbahce beat Benfica in CL qualifying, we will go to Pot 2.

Last night on the Wiki they stated 8 teams per pot and us moved to Pot 2 only. Now seems to have been changed and reverted back to a flux 1/2. schrodinger's Villa.

It doesn’t make any difference really which pot we’re in as we still draw two teams from each pot. If one of the stronger teams goes into a lower pot then in theory that only affects and makes it harder for the teams that draw them.

Almaty would be a fantastic draw for those who could afford the time and money to go but one to avoid for the players. I was hoping for a reason to go to Baku but Qarabag looked decent against a poor Ferencvaros team I thought last night, and should go through in the Champions League now.
We come back to home games after 6 of the 8 group games which should be better for the players but fingers crossed that won’t lead to a drop off in home form.

[Somniloquism]

It doesn’t make any difference really which pot we’re in as we still draw two teams from each pot.

I mentioned before that whilst it doesn't "matter" with the draws anymore, seeing us on the list of the teams in pot one is still nice.

[N'ZMAV]

It’s a bit like our Conf League season, that was far stronger than anything Chelsea faced last season.

Agreed, Chelsea won the cup by default - majority of the teams in the competition last season were teams made up by JK Rowling