4 crucial Europa League Group Stage match deciders to watch this week

The final group stage matches of the 2021/22 Europa League are set to be played on Thursday. Matchday 6 of the second-tier European competition will see many teams fight for a result to take them to the next round. Some other teams will be hoping to win so they can top the group and avoid the third-place teams that will be coming from the UEFA Champions League.

Here are four of these crucial Europa League group stage encounters.

Portuguese club Sporting Braga are currently in second place in Group F. They are just one point behind Crvena Zvezda in the table. On Thursday, the two teams will face each other, with the winners cementing their place as Group winners. The match will mean more for Braga, who need a win not just to top the group, but to ensure definite qualification. Danish club Midtjylland are third with eight points and will face Ludogorets that day.

Lazio will require more than a win to qualify as Group E winners when they face Turkish giants Galatasaray on Thursday. Galatasaray have 11 points and currently sit atop the group, while Lazio have eight points. A win for Lazio will ensure that they are level on points, so the group winners will be decided on the head-to-head results. Galatasaray defeated Lazio 1-0 back in September; thus, Lazio will need to better that scoreline to qualify as group winners.

This is arguably the big match fixture of this Europa League game week. There is everything at stake in this match, as all four teams in Group C stand a chance of securing qualification to the next round. Leicester currently tops the group with eight points. Spartak Moscow and Napoli have seven points apiece but are second and third respectively, while Polish side Legia Warsaw are fourth with six points. The winners of Napoli vs. Leicester City could finish top of the group, while the winners between Spartak Moscow and Legia Warsaw could ensure progression to the next round.

Real Sociedad and PSV will clash to decide who goes through to the next round. PSV need a draw to qualify, while Sociedad desperately needs a win to ensure their qualification. In their group, Monaco are the leaders with 11 points. The French side will face Sturm Graz, who have just one point.

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Collins Nwokolo is an expert sports writer, blogger, and content marketer. He loves crafting beneficial content, and sharing them to everyone.

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