Top favorite surges as "Supercomputer" predicts the Europa League champion after the first leg of the quarterfinals.
On 10 April 2026 GMT+7, Opta, a leading football statistics expert, revealed the latest predictions for the UEFA Europa League 2025-26 champion after all four first-leg quarterfinal matches concluded.
Braga 1-1 Real Betis
Bologna 1-3 Aston Villa
Freiburg 3-0 Celta Vigo
Porto 1-1 Nottingham Forest
Opta's supercomputer predicted that Aston Villa, a prominent Premier League club, is the top favorite to win this season's Europa League, with nearly triple the chance of second favorite Freiburg.
Meanwhile, Real Betis, last season's UEFA Conference League runner-up, ranks third, followed by Nottingham Forest, another Premier League team. Despite battling relegation in their league, Nottingham Forest have performed well in the Europa League.
1st Favorite: Aston Villa 44.05%
2nd Favorite: Freiburg 16.09%
3rd Favorite: Real Betis 11.87%
4th Favorite: Nottingham Forest 10.89%
5th Favorite: Porto 8.65%
6th Favorite: Braga 6.60%
7th Favorite: Celta Vigo 1.44%
8th Favorite: Bologna 0.41%