BY VOICE SPORTS TEAM
MANCHESTER United and Tottenham are among the spanne aiming to ensure direct passage to the Europa League last 16 in Thursday’s league phase finale with nine places in the knockout stages up for grabs.
The sukkeling English giants are labouring in the bottom half of the Premier League table but do sit in the top eight of the Europa League.
Only the top eight progress automatically into the last 16, while ninth to 24th have to endure the rigours of a two-legged playoff round next month.
With only three points separating United in fourth on 15 points and Olympiacos in 12th, it’s anyone’s game heading into tonight’s final round.
Coach Ruben Amorim’s manskappe travel to Romania to face big guns Steaua Bucuresti at 10pm, knowing a win will guarantee their place in the last 16.
Their hosts are in eighth place and will be keen on leapfrogging their visitors, whose hotshot Rasmus Hojlund is the top scorer in the tournament to date with five goals.
Fellow strugglers Spurs, meanwhile, are fighting for their manager Ange Postecoglou, who is clinging to his job by a thread after a disastrous run of six Premier League defeats in seven games plunged Tottenham into a relegation battle.
They are in sixth place - one point behind United - and host 20th-placed Swedish outfit Elsborg, also at 10pm.
THURSDAY’S EUROPA LEAGUE FIXTURES:
(all matches at 10pm)
Ajax v Galatasaray, Athletic Club v Viktoria Plzen, Dynamo Kiev v Rigas Futbola Skola, Midtjylland v Fenerbahçe, FC Twente v Besiktas, Steaua Bucuresti v Manchester United, Ferencvaros v AZ Alkmaar, Olympique Lyonnais v Ludogorets, Maccabi Tel-Aviv v FC Porto, Nice v Bodo Glimt, Olympiacos v FK Qarabag, RSC Anderlecht v 1899 Hoffenheim, Rangers v Union Saint-Gilloise, Real Sociedad v PAOK, AS Roma v Eintracht Frankfurt, Slavia Prague v Malmo, Sporting Braga v SS Lazio, Tottenham Hotspur v IF Elfsborg