Manchester United and Tottenham in action as Europa League kicks off with no clear favorite to win it all

Hello! Midweek action ramps up on Wednesday with the UEFA Europa League, which steals the European spotlight this week as the league phase begins. I'm Pardeep Cattry with a look-ahead to this season's comPetition and the comPetition's opening Games.

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All times U.S./Eastern

Wednesday, Sept. 25
🇪🇺 UEL: Bodo/Glimt vs. Porto, 12:45 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Network, Paramount+
🇪🇺 UEL: Manchester United vs. Twente, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 EFL Cup: Liverpool vs. West Ham, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇪🇸 La Liga: Barcelona vs. Getafe, 3 p.m. ➡️ ESPN+
🇺🇸🇲🇽 Campeones Cup: Columbus Crew vs. Club America, 7:30 p.m. ➡️ Apple TV+
🇺🇸 U.S. Open Cup final: LAFC vs. Sporting Kansas City, 10:30 p.m. ➡️ Apple TV+

Thursday, Sept. 26
🇪🇺 UEL: Malmo vs. Rangers, 12:45 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Network, Paramount+
🇪🇺 UWCL: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Juventus, 12:45 p.m. ➡️ DAZN
🇪🇺 UEL: Tottenham vs. Qarabag, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+

⚽ The Forward Line

🇪🇺 A wide, open field for the Europa League

The Europa League returns on Wednesday, switching to the Swiss-style tournament the Champions League debuted last week, but that is where the similarities end. This year's field of Europa League contenders does not include any obvious favorites for the crown, making this season's competition more compelling than in years past.

None of the tournament's most successful teams – Sevilla, Inter, Liverpool, Juventus and Atletico Madrid – are in the mix this season, most of them competing instead in the Champions League. The change in format also means they will not drop down to the Europa League if they miss out on a knockout berth in the Champions League. It means the eventual champion is already amongst us, but may not be obvious to pick out. Only two teams that have won the competition in the last decade – Manchester United and Eintracht Frankfurt – made the cut, but neither are the oddsmakers' favorites.

That label currently sits with Tottenham Hotspur, who may be off to an uneven start this season and still look unfinished as they kick off year two of a rebuild, but might also have a convincing argument. Despite winning just two of their opening five Premier League games this season, Spurs seem bought in on Ange Postecoglou's attacking plan and rank within England's top four in a handful of goalscoring categories. That includes shots, shots on goal and expected goals, though there's room for improvement – they rank seventh in the Premier League for shots on goal percentage and have failed to put games away, all while being a little too vulnerable defensively, conceding five goals in five games.

Their opening match on Thursday against Qarabag, though, should offer a chance to start their Europa League campaign in straightforward fashion, especially as tougher matches loom. The first matches that will test their credentials as the Europa League favorites will come November, when they travel to Galatasaray and host Roma, who are ranked third in the odds to take home the title.

The onus will be on Tottenham to work through their issues to live up to the billing as the oddsmakers' choice to win the Europa League in the spring, though their flaws are the embodiment of the competition's potential this season. They are just one of several imperfect but promising teams that could deliver a campaign that's both unpredictable and, as a result, entertaining.

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🔗  Midfield Link Play

🔴 Manchester United, Twente kick things off

While Tottenham Hotspur will lead Thursday's action, the headlining act on Wednesday is Manchester United's clash with Twente. The game comes with a personal connection for United manager Erik ten Hag, who made 200-plus appearances for Twente during his playing days. He admitted in his pre-match remarks the meeting might be unpleasant – in his words, it's "not nice to have to hurt something you love" – but the stakes are always a little higher than that for him.

For ten Hag, this year is supposed to be a redemption arc after surviving a chaotic season that finished with an eighth-place finish in the Premier League. His lone saving grace was the FA Cup triumph last spring that qualified them for the Europa League, leading him to liken himself to some of the greats of the game after winning two trophies in two years at Old Trafford. Characterizing himself that way, though, means the pressure's on to repeat in one of the cups and as the oddsmakers' second choice to win the Europa League, this competition is good as any to prove United are better than last year's showing.

Though the disorder that defined them last season has not continued, at least not so far, some of last year's problems still linger. They no longer concede and score in huge numbers, but their goal difference in the Premier League sits at zero because they average one goal against per game and are struggling for goals. They rank in the Premier League's top three for shots and expected goals, but have very much underperformed in the latter category – they have generated 9.59 expected goals in five games but have just five goals to show for it, and no one on the team has more than one goal or assist this season.

They are heavily favored against Twente, which means Wednesday's match is a good chance to build some attacking rhythm, especially ahead of a weekend matchup against Tottenham. Coupled with Saturday's drab 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace, though, this week could offer some answers about the direction United's trending in three seasons into the ten Hag experiment.

🔗  Top Stories

🇪🇺 UEL contenders: Before the action begins, here's a ranking of the top five contenders to win the Europa League next spring.

🩹 Rodri injury: Manchester City confirmed that Rodri picked up a right knee liGament injury over the weekend, which forces the question: Who will replace him as he spends a long chunk of time on the sidelines?

⚪ Mbappe injury: Kylian Mbappe has a minor thigh injury, which could impact Real Madrid's attack for the next three weeks.

↕️ NWSL power rankings: The Kansas City Current and the Chicago Red Stars are trending upwards in the latest batch of NWSL power rankings, while there's cause for concern for the Portland Thorns and Angel City.

🏆 U.S. Open Cup final: Here's a look at the high stakes for LAFC in the U.S. Open Cup final, as well as Johnny Russell on Sporting Kansas City's chances to clinch the title away from home.

🔵 Chelsea's cup win: Joao Felix and Christopher Nkunku impressed as Chelsea picked up a lopsided win over Barrow in the fourth round of the EFL Cup.

💯 Haaland's century mark: Erling Haaland officially has 100 goals in 105 games for Manchester City, putting him firmly in the race to be named the best player in the world.

❓ Ballon d'Or favorite: Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior has reportedly been told he won the Ballon d'Or, potentially beating out a stacked list of candidates as a younger group of players look to take the mantle from Lionel Messi and Crisitano Ronaldo.

🇺🇸 USMNT strikers: Folarin Balogun tops the current edition of the USMNT striker power rankings, but Timothy Weah is a surprise new contender after filling in as a No. 9 for Juventus over the weekend.

🗣️ Giroud on Pulisic: LAFC's Olivier Giroud said his former teammate Christian Pulisic is playing with more confidence at AC Milan, noting his evolution from his Chelsea days.

🗽 Hudson River Derby: Ahead of this weekend's clash between New York City FC and the New York Red Bulls, NYCFC head coach Nick Cushing stops by Morning Footy to talk the derby and the playoff push.

🇮🇹 Del Piero on Calciopoli: Alessandro del Piero explains his decision to stay with Juventus in Serie B after the Calciopoli scandal on last week's episode of Kickin' It.

🆕 Tab Ramos on Kickin' It: Former U.S. international and U-20 USMNT coach Tab Ramos talks immigrating to the U.S. from Uruguay, coaching Tyler Adams at the youth level, his opinion on the best USMNT team in recent years and hard truths about the American soccer landscape.

💰  The Back Line

💵 Best bets

• UEFA Europa League: Manchester United vs. Twente, Wednesday, 3 p.m.
  💰 THE PICK: Bruno Fernandes to score (+175) – Manchester United have struggled for goals this season, scoring just five times in five Premier League matches so far. They are heavily favored to win the opening game of their Europa League campaign, though, so count on their most reliable player to play a big part – captain Bruno Fernandes. He already has an assist in league play this season but is waiting for his first goal of the season, and few occasions would be more opportune than the start of their European season.
• UEFA Europa League: Tottenham Hotspur vs. Qarabag, Thursday, 3 p.m.

💰 THE PICK: Timo Werner to score (+135) – The oddsmakers' favorite to win the whole thing have the chance to set a strong tone on Thursday, when they kick off their Europa League campaign in a lopsided matchup against Qarabag. It could be a good opportunity for manager Ange Postecoglou to rotate through his squad a little bit, which means Timo Werner could play a sizable role after mostly featuring as a substitute so far this season – and use the occasion to score his first goal of the season.

For more picks, predictions, expert tips and the latest betting news, don't miss out on CBSSports.com's betting home page.   

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