Teams From Europe's Top Four Leagues Featuring in UEFA Europa Conference League
In recent years, UEFA has made changes across the European football calendar. No change has come in for more criticism than the proposed change to the Champions League. The new "Swiss Model' will come into action next summer, and it will see the competition expanded from 32 to 36 teams, all of whom will be piled into one table. The aim, of course, is to bring in even more money and ensure that the best are playing the best from the outset and throughout. But while most people aren't happy with the impending changes, there is plenty that UEFA has done in recent years that has changed the beautiful game for the better.
Firstly, the Nations League has proven to be an overwhelming success. The tournament, the third installment of which was recently won by Spain, has seen the mundane international fixtures replaced with games that actually mean something. Also, fledgling nations from lower down the European footballing hierarchy have been given the opportunity to qualify for the European Championships, something they would never have had prior to the competition's creation.
Another tournament that has been a resounding success is the Europa Conference League. The competition was created so that clubs from nations with a lower coefficient had the chance to play continental football. So far, that is exactly what has happened, and here are the four teams from Europe's top five leagues which will be competing in the tournament next season.
Juventus - Italy
Italian Giants Juventus thought they had it bad last season when several poor results in the Champions League saw them finish behind Paris Saint-Germain and Benfica. Their third-place finish in the group saw them drop into the Europa League for the first time in nine years. They would go on to reach the semifinals of the competition where they would ultimately lose out to specialists Sevilla, however, next season, the Bianconeri are falling even lower in the European football world.
A 15-point deduction for financial irregularities saw the Old Lady of Italian football finish way down in seventh place in Serie A. That was only good enough for a spot in the UEFA Europa Conference League next season. However, considering the talent in the squad at the Allianz Stadium, football betting sites will make them the overwhelming favorites for glory next term.
Aston Villa - England
The reigning Conference League champions are English Premier League side West Ham United. They defeated Fiorentina in Prague at the start of June courtesy of Jarred Bowen's last-minute winner, and their compatriots Aston Villa will be hoping to follow in their footsteps next season. European specialist Unai Emery defied the odds last term to lead his Villains to a seventh-place finish in the English top flight last term, and he will be hoping to take his team into the latter stages next season.
Eintracht Frankfurt - Germany
Eintracht Frankfurt are the Bundesliga's representatives in the competition. They qualified for the Champions League last season after winning the Europa League in 2022, and they will be hoping to add another European trophy to their collection in 12 months' time. They impressed when dining at the most elite dinner table in European football last term, finishing behind Tottenham Hotspur in the group stages and qualifying for the last 16. There, they were downed by dominant Scudetto winners Napoli, but they could still be impressed with their performances. A seventh-placed finish in the German top flight last season means they will be downgrading somewhat, but the Conference League represents a great opportunity to add a second piece of continental silverware in three seasons.
Osasuna - Spain
Just like Aston Villa in England, Osasuna were the shock qualifiers from Spain. Los Rojillos had a wonderful campaign last season, finishing above the likes of Athletic Bilbao and simultaneously taking advantage of Sevilla and Valencia's poor seasons to secure European qualification for the first time in the club's history. They also defeated the likes of Real Betis, Sevilla, and Bilbao en route to the Copa Del Rey final, where they ultimately lost out to Real Madrid.