Tonight sees the fifth round of European group games continue, with British teams having plenty to play for. We take an in-depth look at what each side needs in order to secure Europa League knockout qualification, as well as Aston Villa’s requirements in the Conference League.
As it stands, only Scottish side Aberdeen are unable to make it out of their group. The Dons have just two points from four Conference League games, and are seven adrift of second-placed Eintracht Frankfurt in Group G with two remaining.
Europa League Knockout Qualification
What Do Liverpool Need to Qualify?
A win for Liverpool at Anfield tonight against Austrian outfit LASK guarantees qualification for Jurgen Klopp’s men. Should they fail to win, a point would be enough to secure their progression if Union Saint-Gilloise fail to beat Toulouse in the other Group E fixture.
The Reds travel to face the Belgian side in their final group game, and will qualify if they avoid defeat regardless of tonight’s results. They have already beaten LASK 3-1 in the first round, before a 2-0 victory over Saint-Gilloise in round two. This was followed by a 5-1 thumping of Toulouse at Anfield, though they lost the return fixture 3-2 in France.
Liverpool have won the competition three times in their history, last lifting the trophy in 2001 when it was known as the UEFA Cup.
What Do West Ham Need to Qualify?
Like Liverpool, David Moyes’ side will be through with a game to spare should they beat bottom club TSC Bačka Topola. The Serbian side have picked up just one point from four games so far, while West Ham are top of the group on nine points.
With wins against all three of the other teams in their group, West Ham’s only defeat so far came at the hands of Olympiacos. The Greek side won 2-1 at the Karaiskakis Stadium last month.
Should they fluff their lines tonight, even a defeat would see the Irons through if Olympiacos fail to win at Freiburg. A win in either of their remaining games will guarantee progression, a year after the Londoners lifted the Conference League title.
What Do Brighton Need to Qualify?
The Seagulls have impressed so far on their European debut. Roberto De Zerbi’s men sit second in Group B on seven points, and need just a draw against AEK Athens to guarantee qualification. However, should they lose, they would need to match or better the Greek side’s result in the final games in order to qualify.
Brighton will be hoping to avoid this eventuality, with a do-or-die clash against group leaders Marseille a potentially daunting prospect. AEK Athens travel to Ajax for their final game.
Having lost 3-2 at home to Athens in the opening game, Brighton drew 2-2 in Marseille and had it all to do in order to go through. But back-to-back 2-0 wins against Dutch giants Ajax have brought them within touching distance of Europa League knockout qualification.
What Do Rangers Need to Qualify?
With Celtic crashing out of the Champions League on Tuesday night, Rangers will want to avoid a similar fate to their rivals when they host Cypriot champions Aris Limassol at the Ibrox tonight. Fortunately for them, no result would knock them out of the competition at this stage.
A draw will see the Glasgow side through unless Sparta Prague can beat Real Betis, who currently top the group. Should that happen, things get very interesting. Even a win against Limassol would not mean certain qualification, as Prague would still be within three points heading into the final games. Though unlikely, it may still all come down to goal difference should other results go against Rangers.
Rangers will of course be hoping to go one better than they managed in 2022, where they lost 5-4 on penalties following a 1-1 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt in the final.
What do Aston Villa need in the Conference League?
Just one point from their final two games will see Aston Villa through to the Conference League knockouts. Unai Emery’s men are currently on nine points, level with Legia Warsaw but second in the group due to their head-to-head record. The Birmingham side lost 3-2 in Poland in the opening round but know a draw in tonights return fixture at Villa Park will secure qualification.
With progression all but mathematically assured, it would take several unlikely results to see Villa miss out on the next round. Not only would they need to lose both their remaining games, but one of AZ Alkmaar or Bosnian side Zrinjski would need to win twice and overturn a significant goal difference in order to send the Premier League team home.
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