The penultimate round in the 2021/22 Europa League season is here. Matchday 5 could see a few teams seal their tickets to the knockout stage while others could crash out of the tournament.
The round has already gotten underway, with Napoli kicking things off with Wednesday's trip to Spartak Moscow. Unfortunately for the Italians, they could not get the result they wanted, losing 2-1 on the road, leaving them in a sticky situation ahead of the sixth and final Matchday.
Thursday will see several other interesting encounters take place. Eight will get underway at 12:45 p.m. ET while the remaining seven fixtures are scheduled for 3 p.m. ET. Here's everything you need to know about the upcoming round.
UEFA Europa League standings ahead of Matchday 5
| Pos. | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | P | Form | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group A | |||||||||||
| 1 | West Ham United | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 4 | +6 | 15 | WWWLW | |
| 2 | Freiburg | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 7 | +10 | 12 | LWWWL | |
| 3 | Olympiakos Piraeus | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 14 | -3 | 7 | WLLWD | |
| 4 | Bačka Topola | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 19 | -13 | 1 | LLLLD | |
| Group B | |||||||||||
| 1 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 5 | +5 | 13 | WWWWD | |
| 2 | Olympique Marseille | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 10 | +4 | 11 | LWWWD | |
| 3 | Ajax | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 13 | -3 | 5 | WLLLD | |
| 4 | AEK Athens | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 12 | -6 | 4 | LLLLD | |
| Group C | |||||||||||
| 1 | Rangers | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 11 | WDWDL | |
| 2 | Sparta Praha | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 7 | +2 | 10 | WWLDL | |
| 3 | Real Betis | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 7 | +2 | 9 | LLWWW | |
| 4 | Aris | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 13 | -6 | 4 | LDLLW | |
| Group D | |||||||||||
| 1 | Atalanta | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 4 | +8 | 14 | WDWDW | |
| 2 | Sporting CP | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 6 | +4 | 11 | WDWDL | |
| 3 | Sturm Graz | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 9 | -5 | 4 | LLLDW | |
| 4 | Raków Częstochowa | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 10 | -7 | 4 | LWLDL | |
| Group E | |||||||||||
| 1 | Liverpool | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 7 | +10 | 12 | LWLWW | |
| 2 | Toulouse | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 9 | -1 | 11 | WDWLW | |
| 3 | Union Saint-Gilloise | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 8 | -3 | 8 | WDLWL | |
| 4 | LASK Linz | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 12 | -6 | 3 | LLWLL | |
| Group F | |||||||||||
| 1 | Villarreal | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 7 | +2 | 13 | WDWWW | |
| 2 | Rennes | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 6 | +7 | 12 | LWWWL | |
| 3 | Maccabi Haifa | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 9 | -6 | 5 | WDLLD | |
| 4 | Panathinaikos | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 10 | -3 | 4 | LLLLD | |
| Group G | |||||||||||
| 1 | Slavia Praha | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 4 | +13 | 15 | WWWLW | |
| 2 | Roma | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 4 | +8 | 13 | WDLWW | |
| 3 | Servette | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 13 | -9 | 5 | LDWDL | |
| 4 | Sheriff | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 17 | -12 | 1 | LLLDL | |
| Group H | |||||||||||
| 1 | Bayer Leverkusen | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 3 | +16 | 18 | WWWWW | |
| 2 | Qarabağ | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 9 | -2 | 10 | WDLLW | |
| 3 | Molde | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 7 | LDWWL | |
| 4 | Häcken | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 17 | -14 | 0 | LLLLL | |
Top games to watch on Matchday 5 in the UEFA Europa League
Bayer Leverkusen vs Celtic: Third-placed Celtic are only a point behind second-placed Real Betis, meaning the Scottish giants must win on Thursday in order to head into the final matchday with a chance of making the last 32. Unfortunately, their opponent will be Bayer Leverkusen, who currently top Group G. The Bundesliga outfit are yet to lose a game in Europe, winning three and drawing once in their opening four ties, including a 4-0 triumph over Betis in the previous round. However, with back-to-back victories over Ferencváros, Celtic have returned to the fold and thus enter this tie in much-needed form. Don't miss this showdown.
Galatasaray vs Olympique Marseille: Galatasaray are top of their group, boasting a three-point advantage at the summit, meaning the Turkish giants have a little more breathing room. The same cannot be said for Marseille, who find themselves in third after drawing all four of their opening fixtures. As a result, the Ligue 1 side are four points behind the table-toppers but trail second-placed Lazio by only one. If Payet and Co. lose this fixture and Lazio beat Lokomotiv, then the French outfit will bid farewell to the tournament, making for an intense affair.
Monaco vs Real Sociedad: This is a clash between first and second in the table as table-toppers Monaco prepare to host Real Sociedad in a crucial Group B clash. Only three points separate the top team from third-placed PSV, meaning a lot is at stake in this clash. La Real need to win or will risk heading into the final round in third. Meanwhile, their Ligue 1 opposition can secure a top-spot finish with a victory and will thus hand the visitors a run for their money in what should be an intriguing affair. When these two sides met in Spain, that fixture ended in a 1-1 draw, so it will be interesting to see how this rematch pans out.
Who's in and who's out
Here are the list of players ruled out for the upcoming round from the UEFA Europa League's top clubs:
Lyon: Jeff Reine-Adélaïde, Sinaly Diomandé, Léo Dubois, and Lenny Pintor (injured); Jerome Boateng (unavailable)
Marseille: Cengiz Under
Lazio: Adam Marusic, Ciro Immobile
Galatasaray: Arda Turan, Omar Elabdellaoui, Sacha Boey
Real Sociedad: Igor Zubeldia (injured); Asier Illarramendi, Nacho Monreal, and Jon Guridi (doubtful)
PSV: Ritsu Doan, Mees Kreekels, Cody Gakpo, Ryan Thomas, Eran Zahavi, Richard Ledezma, Shurandy Sambo, and Yorbe Vertessen (injured); Noni Madueke, Fode Fofana, and Armando Obispo (doubtful)
Monaco: Benoit Badiashile, Cesc Fabregas, and Eliot Matazo (injured); Krepin Diatta (doubtful)
West Ham: Angelo Ogbonna
Real Betis: Victor Camarasa, Rodri, Youssouf Sabaly
Bayer Leverkusen: Julian Baumgartlinger, Mitchel Bakker, and Timothy Fosu-Mensah (injured); Charles Aranguiz, Karim Bellarabi, and Lucas Alario (doubtful); Kerm Demirbay (suspended)
Leicester: Youri Tielemans, Wesley Fofana, James Justin
