The Europa League: Requirements for Liverpool, West Ham, and Brighton to Reach the Knockout Stage

There are only two rounds of matches left in both the Europa League and Europa Conference League group stages, and our Premier League clubs are fighting to secure their spots in the knockout phase in the new calendar year. Here’s a breakdown of what each team needs to do in their final fixtures to secure their spots in the last 16 of each competition, or at least the playoffs. Only the group winners will advance directly to the last 16, while the runners-up will face a two-legged tie against a team from the Uefa competition above. Get the latest Europa League odds here.

Europa League:
– West Ham United are in a good position to progress but need to secure a win at bottom-placed Backa Topola and at least a draw at home to Freiburg to guarantee progression.
– Brighton and Hove Albion has turned their poor start around with back-to-back wins and sit in second place, one point behind Marseille. They need to secure a draw against AEK Athens and in their last game to finish second and face a Champions League third-placed team.
– Rangers are in second place and looking for a play-off spot, which they can secure by beating last-placed Aris Limassol.
– Liverpool is leading their group and only need a win at home to LASK to guarantee a top-two spot.

Europa Conference League:
– Aston Villa is tied for first place with Legia Warsaw and will need a victory by two goals or more in their upcoming match to secure top spot.
– Aberdeen is currently in third place with no competition to drop down to and are fighting to avoid coming in last.

It’s a fierce battle to the finish for our Premier League and Scottish Premiership representatives – let’s see who makes it to the next round!