Europa League Preview: What Every Team Needs On A Chaotic Final Thursday Night

Thursday night will deliver one of the most dramatic final rounds the UEFA Europa League has seen in its second-ever league phase.

‎With nineteen teams already assured of knockout-round football and only two confirmed for the last 16, the competition remains wide open.

‎The final fixtures will determine who goes straight to the next round, who drops into the unforgiving knockout playoffs, and who sees their European campaign end prematurely.

The Battle for the Top Eight

‎The most coveted positions in the league phase are the top eight spots, which offer a direct route into the round of 16.

‎The teams finishing between ninth and twenty-fourth must instead navigate an extra knockout playoff round, something many clubs are desperate to avoid.

‎Lyon and Aston Villa are already safe

‎Lyon and Aston Villa have already secured their last-16 berths after last week’s results. Both sides can approach their final fixtures, Lyon against PAOK and Aston Villa against Salzburg, with relative freedom.

‎For the French club, the achievement is particularly notable, as they have become the only team to finish in the top eight in back-to-back league phases.

‎Freiburg on the Brink

‎Freiburg are all but mathematically through. A draw at Lille will officially confirm their position, yet even a loss is unlikely to threaten their place.

‎Their consistency across the league phase has placed them firmly among the frontrunners.

‎Roma and Rivals in Dangerous Territory

‎The heart of the battle lies with the teams currently holding positions four through eight, Midtjylland, Sporting Braga, AS Roma, Ferencváros, and Real Betis.

‎Each of the first four knows that victory guarantees their presence in February’s round-of-16 draw.

‎Betis, however, face a more precarious situation. They sit eighth only because they have scored one more goal than Porto.

‎Should that narrow advantage shift, Betis could find themselves slipping into the playoff path.

‎The Chase from Below

‎Just behind them, Genk and Crvena Zvezda are only a point off the top-eight positions.

‎Crvena Zvezda’s task is made more complex by a direct clash with Celta Vigo, another side still pushing for automatic qualification. PAOK, Stuttgart, and Bologna also remain mathematically alive, though they require a specific combination of results from other matches.

‎Last season, fourteen points were enough to secure eighth place dramatically. This time around, the threshold appears slightly higher, with at least fifteen points likely needed to seal the final top-eight spot.

‎Qualified but Already Out of the Top-Eight Race

‎Four teams have earned qualification for the knockout stages yet have no realistic chance of reaching the top eight, Nottingham Forest, Viktoria Plzeň, Fenerbahçe, and Panathinaikos.

‎Plzen’s case is particularly unusual, as they remain one of the competition’s three unbeaten sides.

‎However, their five draws from seven matches have left them too far back to mount a direct run into the last sixteen.

‎The Survival Scrap at the Bottom

‎While the top of the standings focuses on glory and convenience, the bottom half of the table is centred on desperation.

‎Only four qualification spots remain realistically available, leaving half a dozen teams scrambling to avoid elimination.

‎Celtic, Young Boys, and Others Under Pressure

‎Dinamo Zagreb is not mathematically secure, but their position is strong enough that elimination appears almost impossible.

‎This places the real pressure on the quartet of Lille, Brann, Young Boys, and Celtic. The Scottish champions are the most vulnerable with eight points, while the other three sit on nine.

‎The equation for all four clubs is simple: a win guarantees survival. Anything less, however, and they must turn their attention to other pitches across Europe, hoping for favourable results.

‎Ludogorets Leading the Chase

‎On seven points, Ludogorets remain the most significant threat from just outside the qualification zone.

‎Their home meeting with the already-eliminated Nice offers an opportunity to apply maximum pressure on the teams just above them.

‎Win or Go Home for Feyenoord and Others

‎Feyenoord, Basel, RB Salzburg, FCSB, and Go Ahead Eagles all enter the final round knowing that anything less than three points ends their European adventure.

‎For FCSB and Go Ahead Eagles, even a win may not be enough due to their poor goal difference, which has become a crucial factor.

‎Last season, ten points were needed to progress from these positions. This campaign appears slightly kinder, with nine points projected to be enough for the final qualification spot.

‎Teams Already Eliminated

‎Six clubs enter the final night with no path forward. Sturm Graz, Rangers, Nice, Utrecht, Malmö, and Maccabi Tel Aviv are officially out.

‎For Malmö, Maccabi Tel Aviv, and Nice, it marks a repeat of last season’s early exit.

‎Ludogorets are the only other side in danger of suffering the same back-to-back disappointment.