As week five of the Europa League gets underway, Arsenal and Leicester have already confirmed their qualification for the last 32, however work still needs to be done for Tottenham and Rangers if they are to also progress.
Despite their struggles in England, the Gunners are yet to drop points in Europe and will host Austrian side SK Rapid Wien on Thursday, confirming their place at the top of Group B if they avoid defeat.
Irish club Dundalk will be looking for their first ever European points in the other fixture in the group, when they visit Molde in Norway.
Leicester will travel to Ukraine to face Zorya Luhansk safe in the knowledge that they have already advanced to the knockout stages after their dramatic 3-3 draw with Braga last week.
Elsewhere in Group G, AEK Athens host Braga needing a win if they are to keep their European dream alive whilst victory for the Portuguese visitors will see them progress out of the group.
In Group J, a win against LASK will see Spurs continue their superb form and seal qualification for the round of 32.
Carlos Vinicius netted his first two goals for the club last time out in Europe and will need to be on hand to score again should Jose Mourinho choose to rotate his squad.
The other match in the group is Royal Antwerp versus Ludogorets, where a win for Antwerp will also confirm their spot in the next round.
Rangers had their place in the knockout stages all but confirmed last week until a late fightback by Benfica spoiled the party, but Steven Gerrard’s side will definitely progress this week if they can beat Standard Liege in Group D.
Benfica can do the same if they defeat Polish club Lech Poznan, although they will be up against the Europa League’s second top goal scorer – Mikael Ishak – who has 5 goals in 4 games.
While the majority of the British clubs are in good stead to make the next round, Neil Lennon’s Celtic side have already crashed out of the competition.
They face the impossible when they travel to Italy on Thursday and face AC Milan, who are top of the Serie A and have lost once all season.
The other Group H game sees leaders Lille take on Sparta Prague, and they will cement their place in the next round if they can pick up three points.
Group F is looking the tightest going into week five with the top three separated by just two points as AZ Alkmaar, Real Sociedad, and Napoli fight for the top two spots.
Sociedad have the easier draw on paper, welcoming bottom side HNK Rijeka who haven’t picked up a single point, whilst AZ and Napoli face off in a crucial match for both sides.
Hoffenheim have conceded just once in Europe this season and with qualification already confirmed, they can take a somewhat relaxed approach to their match with Red Star Belgrade in Group L. If they can avoid defeat then Red Star will also confirm their spot in the next round.
The other match features Czech club Slovan Liberec visiting Belgium to take on bottom place Gent, needing a win and the Red Star result to go in their favour if they are to stay in the competition.
Group C will be confirmed if Bayer Leverkusen and Slavia Prague win their respective games against OGC Nice and Hapoel Be’er Sheva, before facing off against each other in the final round of matches to decide who finishes first and second.
Surprisingly, Granada are yet to lose in the Europa League and sit top of Group E. Victory against PSV will see them progress to the next round, whilst PAOK will also need to win against Omonoia Nicosia to ensure that they don’t drop out of the competition.
In Group K, Dinamo Zagreb only need a point against Feyenoord to ensure they continue in the competition while a win for the Dutch side could equally put them through depending on the other group game.
CSKA Moscow have drawn three and lost one so far, and they take on third place side Wolfsberger AC looking to get their first win of the European season. Victory for them would put Feyenoord through if they beat Zagreb.
Roma have already confirmed their place in the next round and they stand in the way of second place in Group A, BSC Young Boys.
If the Swiss side can defeat the leaders then they will also qualify for the next round, regardless of the result between CFR Cluj and CSKA Sofia.
Finally, Villarreal will make it out of Group I if they beat Sivasspor away from home.
Maccabi Tel Aviv also need a win to ease the pressure on them in second place going into the final week.
By Ali Pollock
