2021/22 Europa Conference League

And then there were three. Back in the day, there used to be three European club competitons and now that situation has returned. The Europa Conference League has been launched and a total of 184 teams are taking part in the 2021/22 competition. Sides from all around Europe have made it into the Europa Conference League via their domestic league placing or winning cup competitions. Others will be transferred into the Europa Conference League after being knocked out of the other European competitions. It's actually possible for a club to play in all three competitions this season.

The Europa Conference League is an opportunity for some of the lowest ranked teams to play in a major competition. Teams will have to win through some qualifying rounds to get into the group stages. There will be eight groups of four as in the Champions League and Europa League. The teams finishing second and third in their groups will go into a play-off round. Then it's the final knockout stage with the winners of the play-off round joining the eight group winners.

The winners of this competition will gain direct entry into the group stages of the 2022/23 Europa League. That's unless they have already made it into the Champions League. The final will be played on 25 May in Tirana, Albania.

Dates for your Diary

• Group Stages - 16 September to 9 December
• Knockout Play-off round draw - 13 December
• Knockout Play-off round - 17/24 February
• Last Sixteen draw - 25 February
• Last Sixteen - 10/17 March
• Draw for final stages - 18 March
• Last Eight - 7/14 April
• Semi-Finals - 28 April/5 May
• Final - 25 May in Tirana, Albania

See the latest Europa Conference League odds at bet365

Expert advice for your Europa Conference League predictions

There are going to be some top teams in this 2021/22 Europa Conference League. Sides such as Eintracht Frankfurt, Tottenham Hotspur, Union Berlin and Rennes are among the favourites to become the first winners of this new competition.

This being a new competition, that means we can't compare it to the previous season's results. Come back to this page later in the week when we will look at the first three qualifying rounds and produce a statistical analysis of the many games played so far. We'll update this after the play-off rounds. This will include stats such as:

• Under/over goals markets
• Both teams to score
• Home wins
• Away wins
• Draws
• When goals are being scored
• Average number of goals per game

Make your selections at Marathonbet

Draw for the Group Stages

The draw has been made for the group stages of the first ever Europa Conference League. Jose Mourinho's Roma are in the same group as Zorya Luhansk, CSKA Sofia and Bodo/Glimt. His former side Tottenham are up against Rennes, Vitesse and NS Mura.

Group A: LASK, Maccabi Tel-Aviv, Alashkert, HJK Helsinki

Group B: Gent, Partizan, Flora Tallinn, Anorthosis Famagusta

Group C: Roma, Zorya Luhansk, CSKA Sofia, Bodo/Glimt

Group D: AZ Alkmaar, CFR Cluj, Jablonec, Randers

Group E: Slavia Prague, Feyenoord, Union Berlin, Maccabi Haifa

Group F: FC Copenhagen, PAOK, Slovan Bratislava, Lincoln Red Imps

Group G: Tottenham, Rennes, Vitesse, NS Mura

Group H: Basel, Qarabag, Kairat Almaty, Omonia Nicosia

Bet on the groups at Marathonbet

How to bet on the Europa Conference League

Now let's take a look at some of the factors that you need to take into consideration when betting on a Europa Conference League match. In the first place. Team news is going to be extremely important. Just as in the Europa League, clubs are unlikely to field anything like a full strength team. They may do in the latter stages of the competition but not in the group stages. It will be important to find out just who is and who isn't going to be playing. Clubs with a strong squad will do well because they can make plenty of changes and still put out an impressive team. Others who don't have such a strong squad will not do so well.

Just how important is the game that is being played?  It may be that some clubs wish they weren't in this competition, just another match added to an already congested fixture list. Early group games should see maximum effort but as teams make it through to the next round or have no chance of finishing in the top three in their group, the significance of the game will drop. It's the same in the knockout stages. If a team loses the first leg by a wide margin, or win it say 3-0 or 4-0, then a weaker line-up is likely for the second leg.

Look at the different odds available for each match. One site may have what you think are good odds on your selection to win. However, another site may have even better odds available, so check out as many sites as you can before placing your bet.

See the latest odds

Who will be the top scorer in the 2021/22 Europa Conference League?

There are plenty of bets that can be placed on the Europa Confernce League. One of them is the top scorer in the competition. When looking to bet on this market, there are factors in play that need to be examined. For example, will a top player such as Son of Tottenham be playing games in this competition. If there's a vital Premier League game being played at the weekend, he may be on the bench for this midweek game.

Look to bet on a player whose club is likely to go deep in the 2021/22 Europa Conference League. A player whose club may get knocked out in the group stages will struggle to be top scorer. Don't ignore the fact that there have been a lot of qualifying matches played. Before the group stages begin, the top scorer is Arthur Cabral of Basel with eight goals. Basel are in the group stages so he has a good chance of adding to his total.

Place your Europa Conference League wagers at bet365

Our free prediction for the 2021-2022 Europa Conference League season

It's a difficult job predicting who will win the first ever Europa Conference League. Just like in the Europa League, we don't know all the clubs that will be playing. Clubs such as Tottenham, Roma and Eintracht Frankurt will all make a bold effort to be the winners next May. However, there are more clubs to enter this competition after being knocked out of the Champions League and Europa League. When we get to the group stages, that's when we will take a more in-depth look and select possible winners.

Check out all the latest betting odds