It is a crucial week of UEFA Europa League football, as matchday 6 takes center stage. No team has already progressed, or has been eliminated yet. However, that will almost surely change after this round of play.
Four clubs head into this round having not been beaten yet, while another five await their first success. Thursday will have all 18 clashes, as the margin for error has firmly decreased for everyone involved.
Here is The Deck’s preview ahead of the final matchday of UEL football this calendar year.
UEFA Europa League: Matchday 6
Midtjylland and Genk Compete in Top Eight Battle
Dinamo Zagreb (7 points, 23rd place) faces the other Spanish side, Real Betis (11, 5th) as they hope to refund their form. The Croats have been beaten in their last two in the Europa League, with Celta Vigo starting the poor run. They did, however, knock Betis out of the 2023/24 UEFA Conference League at the knockout round playoffs. Speaking of Los Verdiblancos, they are currently on their longest-ever unbeaten run in European away games at seven (4-3-0). Another win will see them through to the knockout stage, and help them towards a potential top eight finish.
Nearing a return to the knockout stage, Ferenćvaros (11, 6th) plays host to Rangers (1, 33rd). Fradi has enjoyed much success over Scottish teams, winning three of four previous matches. Their sole defeat did come to their Thursday opponent in the 1960/61 UEFA Cup Winners Cup. With that said, they are unbeaten in their last six UEL home games, winning five of them. Rangers is on a torrid run in this league phase, having only earned their first point last time out. Failure to win in Hungary will see them eliminated at this stage for the first time since 2018/19.
Ludogorets (6, 25th) will be desperate for back-to-back wins as they welcome PAOK Thessaloniki (8, 17th) to Bulgaria. Both of the Razgrad-based club’s previous clashes with Greek opposition ended in a draw. Those came against Olympiakos Piraeus in the 2021/22 Champions League third qualifying round, where Ludogorets advanced on penalties. After squandering two points late on a fortnight ago, PAOK will be wanting to bounce back. They are still in a decent position to advance, with a victory likely to send them through.
One of the most impressive sides in this season’s league phase, FC Midtjylland (12, 2nd) returns home to battle Genk (10, 9th). The Danes rattled off four successive victories before falling to Roma last time out. It is their second season in a row facing a Belgian team in the Europa League proper, beating Union Saint-Gilloise at home last fall. Genk has won all three continental away games this term, qualifying included. That is their best run in seven years. The 2018/19 season also was the last time they successfully negotiated a group phase in Europe.
It is more Portuguese opposition for OGC Nice (0, 36th), who will try to end their disastrous European run at home to Sporting Braga (10, 7th). Les Aiglons failed to score across their defeats to Benfica in UCL qualifying in the summer, and Porto last matchday. They are all but out, though that will be confirmed should they drop more points. After prevailing in their opening three outings, Braga has failed to win either of their subsequent matches. As such, Os Arcebispos will want to secure their knockout round spot.
In what is a key match for both teams, Sturm Graz (4, 28th) welcomes Crvena zvezda (7, 22nd). The Austrian side has never gotten past this stage of the Europa League in five previous attempts. They are on a five-game run without defeat at home, something they will hope to continue. Red Star has not had much success on the road in group phase play of late, with just one win in their last 14, losing 11. They have, however, won their last two in the UEL, both 1-0 results at home.
DFB Pokal holder Stuttgart (9, 12th) looks to make it three for three at home in this season’s Europa League when they face Maccabi Tel Aviv (1, 35th). Stuttgart kept consecutive clean sheets against Dutch clubs over the last two rounds. This will be their first crack over Israeli opposition. Maccabi has failed to pick up a point in their last four after holding PAOK to a goalless draw on matchday 1. If they fail to change that torrid run on Thursday, they will be out.
Utrecht (1, 32nd) has it all to do at home, as they play host to Nottingham Forest (8, 16th). The Eredivisie outfit is still winless in the Europa League this term, scoring just twice. They can take inspiration from their other appearance at this stage 14 years ago, where they drew against Liverpool home and away. Speaking of draws, both of Forest’s road matches have ended all square. Should they grab three points in the Netherlands, that will almost surely send them through.
The last of the early kickoffs pits together Young Boys (6, 26th) and LOSC Lille (9, 11th). The pressure is starting to mount on the Swiss club, as they lost their last two, dropping them outside of the top 24. Three points could play a vital role in them being able to get past this stage of the competition. Lille impressed two weeks ago in a comfortable win over Dinamo Zagreb. That result leaves Les Dogues one result away from advancing in the UEL proper for the first time since 2020/21. They have never lost to a Swiss club across four previous ties (2-2-0).
Panathinaikos Faces Czech Battle in Viktoria Plzeň
Needing to get back on track, Basel (6, 24th) plays host to Aston Villa (12, 3rd). The Swiss champions won both of their home games in this season’s Europa League, but has yet to claim any points on the road. They have had some success against English teams before, with their record currently being 7-7-13. As for Villa, they are meeting a Swiss team for the second round in a row, having topped Young Boys on matchday 5. They are two-time quarterfinalists of the UEFA Cup, the Europa League’s predecessor.
Having made a good account for themselves in the UEL this fall, SK Brann (8, 19th) hosts Fenerbahçe (8, 20th) in a key clash for both clubs. The Norwegian club has never played against a side from Türkiye before, but will fancy their chances, especially after winning both home ties. They are hoping to make it to the knockout stage for the second time in their history, having done the same in the 2008/09 UEFA Cup. Since losing in Croatia to start the league phase, Fener has gone four without defeat. They have drawn their last two though, something they will want to change. They have failed to win any of their four away clashes this season (0-1-3).
Our tie of the round is a battle of ‘Big 5’ teams, as Celta Vigo (9, 10th) takes on Bologna (8, 18th). Celta defeated Nice and Dinamo Zagreb at home in this league phase, outscoring them 5-2. However, they have never beaten an Italian club at home in two previous attempts (0-1-1). A win will all but secure them passage to the knockout stage. Bologna’s last away match saw them win in the UEFA Cup/Europa League on the road for the first time this millennium. The Rossoblù have not lost in their last four after being beaten in the opening round.
A huge game in the late ties sees Celtic (7, 21st) battle AS Roma (9, 15th). The Hoops have come alive over the last three games, winning two of them to reinvigorate their hopes of a top 24 finish. It will be back-to-back matches versus Italian opposition for Celtic, who has a 7-9-16 record in such games. It is a similar fate for Roma, who faces off against the other Scottish Premiership club in this season’s Europa League. The Giallorossi already got the better of Rangers on matchday 4 in Scotland. Now on nine points, a win at Celtic Park would push the fifth-place finishers in last season’s Serie A a better chance at making the top eight.
Having started the campaign quite well, Porto (10, 8th) will continue their push for an automatic last 16 place at home against Malmö (1, 34th). The Portuguese giants are the only former winners of the present-day Europa League, having done so in 2010/11. Since then, they have only gotten as far as the quarterfinals once, back in 2013/14. This is their first game against a Swedish club since 1996/97, when the defeated IFK Göteborg home and away in the group stage. Malmö will be knocked out at the league phase for the fourth UEL appearance in a row if they lose in Portugal.
It is a high-pressure match in the Romanian capital, where FCSB (3, 31st) and Feyenoord (3, 30th) meet. The hosts have lost their last four in the competition, but their only win did come against Go Ahead Eagles on matchday 1. Playing in their ninth UEL group phase, FCSB is trying to advance for the fourth time, and the second year in a row. As for Feyenoord, they have yet to score an away goal in their two league phase matches, losing both of them. All-time versus Romanian clubs, the Rotterdam-based team has a 2-3-1 record, with their sole defeat coming in their last game two decades ago to Rapid București.
One of the few teams left not to have been beaten in the UEL so far, Freiburg (11, 4th) returns home to face RB Salzburg (3, 29th). The Bundesliga club progressed from two of their three previous group phase appearances, and looks set to make it a third one. A top eight finish is still on the cards for Freiburg, who knows two more wins will see them avoid the knockout round playoffs. In contrast, Salzburg is in need of another victory, as they sit three points behind Basel for 24th place. A loss in Germany will make it a lot more difficult to make it past this stage for the Austrians, who last failed to negotiate a UEL group in 2016/17.
Playing a Dutch team for the second time this fall, Olympique Lyonnais (12, 1st) plays Go Ahead Eagles (6, 27th). L’OL is already well on their way to the knockout rounds, just as they did last term. Having kept four clean sheets so far, no team has conceded less than the Ligue 1 side’s two, both coming in the reverse to Real Betis last month. Fans of Go Ahead Eagles will be hoping to pull off a scalp in the first of two straight trips to France. Having prevailed on matchdays 2 and 3, Kowet now finds themselves on the outside looking in, having lost their last two.
We save our pick for tie of the round for last, with Panathinaikos (9, 14th) and Viktoria Plzeň (9, 13th) meeting in the Greek capital. Winners of their last two, the two-time UEFA Cup quarterfinalists will be hoping to beat a Czech-based side for the 10th time, continuing their strong record in such clashes (9-3-3). It will be a tough ask to do so versus a Plzeň team who has kept three clean sheets in their last four. Including qualifiers, they are riding a six-match unbeaten run (3-3-0). However, they have never topped a Greek club before, having drawn 2-2 on the road to PAOK a year ago.