Europa League Matchday 6: Tense matches across the board
By David Parkes
Tension surrounds teams ahead of Europa League Matchday 6
Matchday 6 of the new-look UEFA Europa League has arrived with several teams jostling in their groups in hopes of continuing to play Europa League football in February/March. Time to cover who is playing for what and the most exciting matches this Thursday night.
Before I go into the matches themselves, a note regarding the format. The top two teams still continue in the Europa League. However, finishing first in the group now has a bigger significance.
Top spot now awards a place in the last 16, something we are not used to in this tournament. The runner-ups join the third-place teams from the Champions League in a qualifying round (referred to as the Knockout Round Playoffs, or KO Playoffs). The winners of those matches will take on a group winner in the Round of 16.
The teams that finish third in the Europa League group stage will drop to the Europa Conference League, in their Knockout Round Playoffs, with a similar idea happening in that competition. The last place teams, as in the previous format, are eliminated.
With that out of the way, here is a breakdown of what’s to come.
Most interesting group: Group C.
For those who read my Champions League preview, you will draw some parallels from this section to Group G. The situation is almost identical here. Leicester City (8 points), Spartak Moscow (7), Napoli (7) and Legia Warsaw (6) are all still in it.
It is a pair of winner-takes-all matches with Brendan Rodgers’ Foxes going to Italy while Legia will host “The People’s Club.” Leicester will not finish bottom no matter what happens, while Legia can only finish second or bottom. All other scenarios are possible.
The FA Cup winners will top the group with a win or with both games ending level. Napoli will get to the last 16 with a win and a Spartak draw or loss. The Russians will get that honor if they win and Leicester do not (Spartak hold the head-to-head on Napoli).
Moving on, Group F also has an enticing finish in store. Braga (9) will host Crvena zvezda (10), with the winner getting top spot. The loser, if there is one, could very well end up in the Europa Conference League as Midtjylland (8) go to already eliminated Ludogorets. Should the Danish side fail to collect three points in Razgrad, they will finish third. Midtjylland can still win the group as long as they win and the other game ends drawn (they have the head-to-head over Crvena zvezda).
In Group B, there is a direct battle for second between PSV (8) and Real Sociedad (6). Neither can win the group nor can they finish last.
The Basque outfit need a win to continue, otherwise they will be the first Spanish team to partake in the new Europa Conference League. For Roger Schmidt’s PSV, a repeat of the 2-2 stalemate on Matchday 1 will do the trick.
The other group where a Europa League KO Playoff spot is available is Group H where Genk (5) will try to overtake Dinamo Zagreb (7) for second place. The only way for the Belgians to finish runner-up is by topping Rapid Wien (3), while Dinamo would have to lose against group winners West Ham. Even a point is enough for the Croatians as they have the head-to-head in their favor.
Bernd Storck’s first assignment as coach of the Smurfs is a quite a risky one though. Should Rapid Wien successfully navigate their trip to the Luminus Arena, it will be the Austrians who will pip Genk for third, preserving their European adventure in the Conference League, and send the Genkies crashing out of Europe altogether.
As for other games of note, Lazio and Galatasaray will lock horns in the Italian capital in Group E, with the hosts needing to win to top the group. Both will be in the Europa League in the new year, it will just be a matter of which round they will enter.
Galatasaray need to avoid defeat to end on top. In the other group match, Marseille and Lokomotiv Moscow will look for their maiden win in the group. If either manages to pull it off, it will mean Conference League football in February. But a draw is enough for the French side to progress.
Frankfurt just needs a point from their trip to Fenerbahce in Group D to guarantee top spot, while Olympiakos must win at Antwerp and hope the Germans lose. Fenerbahce are currently third, while “The Great Old” will see their European campaign end on Thursday.
Finally, Group A will see a clash between Sparta Prague and Brøndby with the Danes needing to win in the Czech capital to prolong their European season. Neither can finish higher than third, so all will be on the line.
Next. UEFA Champions League Matchday 6: Group G up for grabs. dark
The rules on tiebreakers can be found here.. All the fixtures, as well as kickoff times, can be found here. The draw for the inaugural Europa League Knockout Round Playoffs will be Monday at 13:00 CET, with the Round of 16 draw being in late February. But before then, an enticing Thursday night of football awaits.