As the UEFA Europa League league phase approaches its thrilling climax, the final matchday will determine which teams advance and which ones heartbreakingly miss out. With spots in the knockout rounds and a coveted position among the top eight contenders at stake, the pressure is at an all-time high.
In this article, we will be breaking down the permutations for matchday eight, looking at what every team needs to qualify for the knockout rounds of the Europa League:
Who has already qualified?
Several teams have already confirmed their place in the knockout rounds of the competition, but only Lazio have solidified their position inside the top eight and ensured that they will advance directly into the round of 16.
Elsewhere, Anderlecht, Athletic Club, AZ Alkmaar, Bodoe/Glimt, Eintracht Frankfurt, FCSB, Galatasaray, Lyon, Manchester United, Olympiacos, Rangers, Tottenham, Union SG and Viktoria Plzen are all guaranteed a place in the knockout rounds, though all 14 will still be fighting for a top eight place.
Who has already been eliminated?
In stark contrast, seven teams have already seen their European dreams come to a crashing halt, as Dynamo Kyiv, Ludogorets, Malmo, Nice, Qarabag, RFS and Slavia Praha are all confirmed to be eliminated from the competition after matchday eight.
Battle for the top eight
As already mentioned, 14 teams will be battling over just seven available places inside the top eight on the final matchday, all attempting to avoid an extra two-legged knockout playoff round and, instead, advance directly into the round of 16.
15th-placed USG, 14th-placed AZ Alkmaar and 13th-placed Rangers all require a victory in their respective games to draw level with the teams sitting on 14 points inside the top eight. In order to move into the top eight, they would also need one of the sides between 5th and 8th to lose and drop below their respective goal difference total, while they also need all of the teams in ninth to 12th to drop points. Interestingly, USG face Rangers in their final matchday, leaving room for plenty of excitement and drama.
Olympiacos and Viktoria Plzen, on 12 points each, both need to win and teams above them to drop points, while Bodoe/Glimt and Galatasaray, on 13 points, could afford to draw as long as the sides on 14 points lose their matches.
As for those already inside the top eight, Frankfurt and Athletic Club need just a point to ensure their places, while Man United, Lyon, Tottenham, Anderlecht and FCSB will be vying for wins to secure their places in the top eight.
Fight for qualification
Further down the table, 16th-placed Ajax all the way down to 29th-placed Maccabi Tel Aviv are still fighting to place inside the top 24.
Ajax, PAOK, Real Sociedad, Midtjylland and Elfsborg (all on 10 points) are likely to qualify with merely a draw from their matches, though a victory would guarantee them their places in the top 24.
Porto need a victory or a draw and teams around them to drop points as they sit on eight points while 21st-placed Roma, 22nd-placed Ferencvaros, 23rd-placed Fenerbahce and 24th-placed Besiktas have nine points.
Twente and Braga (seven points), Hoffenheim and Maccabi Tel Aviv (six points) are all needing victories from their matches to have any chance of qualification, also needing those above them to lose.
Predicted final table
1 Lazio 22pts
2 Athletic Club 19pts
3 Manchester United 18pts
4 Lyon 17pts
5 Tottenham 17pts
6 Frankfurt 17pts
7 Galatasaray 16pts
8 Olympiacos 15pts
9 Anderlecht 15pts
10 Rangers 14pts
11 Bodoe/Glimt 14pts
12 AZ Alkmaar 14pts
13 FCSB 14pts
14 Real Sociedad 13pts
15 Viktoria Plzen 12pts
16 Fenerbahce 12pts
17 Porto 11pts
18 Union SG 11pts
19 Ajax 10pts
20 PAOK 10pts
21 Roma 10pts
22 Twente 10pts
23 Midtjylland 10pts
24 Elfsborg 10pts
25 Ferencvaros 9pts
26 Besiktas 9pts
27 Hoffenheim 7pts
28 Braga 7pts
29 RFS 6pts
30 Maccabi Tel Aviv 6pts
31 Slavia Praha 5pts
32 Malmo 5pts
33 Ludogorets 3pts
34 Nice 3pts
35 Qarabag 3pts
36 Dynamo Kyiv 2pts
