With the UEFA Champions League group stage coming to a wrap on Wednesday, the focus now shifts to the Europa League. The sixth and final matchday of UEFA's next-best club competition is upon us, with several teams entering the final round with a lot at stake.
The likes of Bayer Leverkusen, Monaco, West Ham, and Lyon have already won their groups and can thus sit back and relax. However, in other groups, three to four teams still stand a chance of progressing to the next round, meaning December 9 will be decision day.
Here is everything you need to know about today's round of Europa League fixtures, from the must-watch showdowns to who is in and who is out.
UEFA Europa League standings ahead of Matchday 6
| Pos. | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | P | Form | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group A | |||||||||||
| 1 | West Ham United | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 4 | +6 | 15 | WWWLW | |
| 2 | Freiburg | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 7 | +10 | 12 | LWWWL | |
| 3 | Olympiakos Piraeus | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 14 | -3 | 7 | WLLWD | |
| 4 | Bačka Topola | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 19 | -13 | 1 | LLLLD | |
| Group B | |||||||||||
| 1 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 5 | +5 | 13 | WWWWD | |
| 2 | Olympique Marseille | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 10 | +4 | 11 | LWWWD | |
| 3 | Ajax | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 13 | -3 | 5 | WLLLD | |
| 4 | AEK Athens | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 12 | -6 | 4 | LLLLD | |
| Group C | |||||||||||
| 1 | Rangers | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 11 | WDWDL | |
| 2 | Sparta Praha | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 7 | +2 | 10 | WWLDL | |
| 3 | Real Betis | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 7 | +2 | 9 | LLWWW | |
| 4 | Aris | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 13 | -6 | 4 | LDLLW | |
| Group D | |||||||||||
| 1 | Atalanta | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 4 | +8 | 14 | WDWDW | |
| 2 | Sporting CP | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 6 | +4 | 11 | WDWDL | |
| 3 | Sturm Graz | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 9 | -5 | 4 | LLLDW | |
| 4 | Raków Częstochowa | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 10 | -7 | 4 | LWLDL | |
| Group E | |||||||||||
| 1 | Liverpool | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 7 | +10 | 12 | LWLWW | |
| 2 | Toulouse | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 9 | -1 | 11 | WDWLW | |
| 3 | Union Saint-Gilloise | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 8 | -3 | 8 | WDLWL | |
| 4 | LASK Linz | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 12 | -6 | 3 | LLWLL | |
| Group F | |||||||||||
| 1 | Villarreal | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 7 | +2 | 13 | WDWWW | |
| 2 | Rennes | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 6 | +7 | 12 | LWWWL | |
| 3 | Maccabi Haifa | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 9 | -6 | 5 | WDLLD | |
| 4 | Panathinaikos | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 10 | -3 | 4 | LLLLD | |
| Group G | |||||||||||
| 1 | Slavia Praha | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 4 | +13 | 15 | WWWLW | |
| 2 | Roma | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 4 | +8 | 13 | WDLWW | |
| 3 | Servette | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 13 | -9 | 5 | LDWDL | |
| 4 | Sheriff | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 17 | -12 | 1 | LLLDL | |
| Group H | |||||||||||
| 1 | Bayer Leverkusen | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 3 | +16 | 18 | WWWWW | |
| 2 | Qarabağ | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 9 | -2 | 10 | WDLLW | |
| 3 | Molde | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 7 | LDWWL | |
| 4 | Häcken | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 17 | -14 | 0 | LLLLL | |
Top games to watch on Matchday 6 in the UEFA Europa League
Napoli vs Leicester: Group C is the most contested group ahead of the sixth and final group-stage round. All four teams stand a chance of qualifying, with Leicester's trip to Napoli being the standout game as one will likely progress while the other crashes out.
The Foxes currently sit top of the table, boasting eight points from five outings. While their lead at the top is a mere point – second-placed Spartak Moscow and third-placed Napoli are both on seven points – that advantage means the Premier League side need to simply draw in order to progress to the next round.
The same is not true for the Italians, however, as only a victory will see them move on to the knockout stage. This is made difficult by the absence of Victory Osimhen, while the influential Lorenzo Insigne and Fabian Ruiz could miss this tie. Nonetheless, the Serie A outfit boast the home advantage and will give it their all in order to come away with the three points and a ticket to the next round.
Real Sociedad vs PSV: The no.1 spot in Group B has already been secured, with Monaco sealing the win and, subsequently, automatically moving on to the round of 16. However, the runners-up spot remains up for grabs. The two teams in contention for the no.2 spot are Real Sociedad and PSV, with the Spanish and Dutch outfits set to battle it out on the final day.
The visitors have all the wiggle room as their two-point advantage over Real Sociedad means they can afford a draw. La Real, on the other hand, find themselves in a must-win situation as anything but a victory will see the Spanish side crash out of the competition. The last time these two sides met, it ended in a 2-2 draw, which would be an unfavorable result for Isak and Co. should it repeat itself. Imanol Alguacil's side have won only one game so far in this competition and will thus need to drastically up their performance come Thursday's showdown.
Sporting Braga vs Crvena Zvezda: Group F is another interesting lot as the three top teams all stand a chance of qualifying. First-placed Crvena Zvezda (10 points) take on second-placed Sporting Braga (9 points), meaning this result will decide not only who wins the group, but also who will finish as runners-up. This is because Midtjylland, who are in third, are on eight points and could thus rise to the top of the table depending on the two fixtures pan out.
While a draw could suffice for the Portuguese outfit, a win is the best way to determine their own fate. However, beating the Serbian giants is easier said than done. Who will win this showdown? Make sure to catch this game on Thursday to find out the answer.
Who's in and who's out
Here are the list of players ruled out for the upcoming round from the UEFA Europa League's top clubs:
Lyon: Jeff Reine-Adélaïde, Sinaly Diomandé, Léo Dubois, Lenny Pintor, Jason Denayer
Sporting Braga: David Carmo, Nuno Sequeira, Vitor Tormena, Ali Elmusrati, Wenderson Galeno
Crvena Zvezda: None
Lazio: None
Rangers: Nnamdi Ofoborh, Filip Helander, Leon Balogun
Galatasaray: Arda Turan, Omar Elabdellaoui, Sacha Boey, Alexandru Cicaldau
Real Sociedad: Nacho Monreal, Carlos Fernandez, Mikel Merino, David Silva
PSV: Maximiliano Romero, Eran Zahavi, Ryan Thomas, Richard Ledezma, Vincent Müller, Shurandy Sambo
Monaco: Benoît Badiashile, Cesc Fabregas, and Krepin Diatta (injured); Youssouf Fofana, and Guillermo Maripam (suspended)
West Ham: Angelo Ogbonna, Kurt Zouma, Benjamin Johnson, Ryan Fredericks, Aaron Cresswell
Real Betis: Victor Camarasa, Youssouf Sabaly, Claudio Bravo, and Martin Montoya (injured); Nabil Fekir (suspended)
Bayer Leverkusen: Iker Bravo Solanilla, Mitchel Bakker, Julian Baumgartlinger, and Timothy Fosu-Mensah (injured); Kerem Demirbay (suspended)
Napoli: Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Victor Osimhen, and Kalidou Koulibaly (injured); Lorenzo Insigne and Fabian Ruiz (suspended)
Leicester: Ricardo Pereira, Wesley Fofana, James Justin, and Nampalys Mendy (injured); Youri Tielemans (doubtful)
