HomeFootball NewsLiverpool, Brighton and West Ham prepare for Europa League campaign

Liverpool, Brighton and West Ham prepare for Europa League campaign

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Liverpool, Brighton and West Ham are the Premier League’s representatives in the Europa League next season.

Liverpool qualified after they finished fifth in the Premier League, whilst Brighton finished sixth. West Ham finished 14th in the table, but winning the Europa Conference League means they will play in the Europa League in the 2023-24 campaign.

A disappointing season for Liverpool saw them miss out on Champions League football. The Reds will be one of the favourites to win the Europa League with the strength of their squad and with the additions of Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister.

The quality of Jurgen Klopp’s squad means they aspire to be playing in the Champions League and Liverpool will be one of the favourites in the Europa League this season.

The last time the Reds were in the competition was during the 2015-16 season, when they were defeated in the final against Seville, who have won the competition seven times. Liverpool’s only piece of silverware last season came in the Community Shield, which they won against Manchester City.

That lack of success will certainly spur the side on to win as much as possible this season, as Klopp leads another rebuild at Anfield.

Brighton, meanwhile, are ready compete in Europe for the first time in the club’s 121-year history. A successful season saw Roberto De Zerbi guide the Seagulls to sixth place in the Premier League, their highest ever finish in the table.

Brighton also reached the FA Cup semi-final, where they were knocked-out on penalties to Manchester United. Uncertain territories for the club mean that they will have reduced pressure on them in the Europa League, as every time they step out onto the pitch they will be making history.

Players such as Evan Ferguson and Moises Caicedo are young but so talented and will cherish playing on a European stage for the first time.

West Ham won the Europa Conference League last season, after Jarrod Bowen’s 90th minute winner gave the Hammers their first silverware in 58 years. David Moyes’ side won 12 matches in the Conference League last season and drew just once out of 13 games played. A winning run on their way to European success is something for the Hammers to be proud of.

Their heart-breaking Europa League semi-final elimination to eventual winners Eintracht Frankfurt in 2021-22 can be forgotten about after the Hammers’ European glory last season.

Could they go even further in the Europa League this year and reach the final? It will be difficult but Moyes’ men have been solidly building European form.

Overall, Liverpool will be tipped as one of the favourites for the competition, whilst West Ham and Brighton will certainly aim to at least get out of the group stages.

West Ham’s poor league form and finish last year could mean that their main priority will be rectifying their domestic competitiveness and a focus on the Europa League might be a secondary objective.

Brighton’s strong finish in the EPL table shows they are capable of fighting at the top end of the league and they could prioritise a strong European run, as the opportunity to play in a competition such as the Europa League might not come around again soon.

Jon Fisher
Jon Fisher
Jon has over 20 years' experience in sports journalism having worked at the Press Association, Goal and Stats Perform, covering three World Cups, an Olympics and numerous other major sporting events.

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