After 4 matches played, let’s check out what’s happening in the UEFA Europa League. Which teams are flying high and which teams could slip down to the UEFA Conference League (UECL), or be eliminated?
GROUP A
Lyon are the runaway leaders in Group A. Peter Bosz’s outfit have notched up 4 wins out of 4 and dominate the group on 12 points. Sparta Prague and Rangers both have 4 points and are in second and third places respectively. Both clubs will be looking for a win when they meet on November the 25th. Brøndby already look to be in danger of elimination. The Danish club are bottom, with just 2 points.
GROUP B
Sturm Graz seem to be the team in Group B who are most likely to be knocked out of Europe. Christian Ilzer’s men have only registered one point from their four games so far. Monaco (8 points) and Real Sociedad (6 points) are fighting it out at the top. This all leaves third-placed PSV Eindhoven in trouble. The once-mighty Dutch club have five points and will be desperately looking to pick up a win against group whipping boys, Sturm Graz, when they meet at the end of November.
GROUP C
Napoli are currently 1st in Group C, with 7 points, but this is a wide open group, with second-placed Legia Warsaw, on 6 points, breathing down their necks. Leicester City (5 points), in 3rd and Spartak Moscow (4 points), in 4th, need to pick up victories to avoid the humiliation of elimination, or relegation to the UECL.
GROUP D
German side, Eintracht Frankfurt, are comfortably leading Group D, with 10 points. Even at this stage, Oliver Glasner’s team look likely group winners. Meanwhile, Antwerp, with just 1 point look almost certain to be eliminated. Greek side, Olympiacos (6 points), and Turkish outfit, Fenerbahçe (5 points), look likely to be fighting it out for second-placed qualification. The two teams meet on November the 25th, at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium, in Piraeus, Greece. Expect fireworks in that encounter!
GROUP E
Lokomotiv Moscow look to be destined for elimination. Markus Gisdol’s Russians only have 2 points from their four games played to date. There will be a high-profile casualty from Group E who will probably go into the UECL, as one of Marseille (4 points), Lazio (5 points) and current leaders, Galatasaray (8 points), must also miss out on progression.
GROUP F
In Group F, Braga are leading the way with 9 points, from second-placed Crvena Zvezda, who are on 7. Midtjylland and Ludogorets are on 5 points and 1 point respectively. The Danish look the most likely side to head into the UECL. The Bulgarians look like being knocked out.
GROUP G
German side, Bayer Leverkusen, are leading the way in Group G, with 10 points from their games so far. Ferencváros are rock bottom with 0 points and look to be on their way out of European competition. Celtic or Real Betis will be heading to the UECL, as they are currently slugging it out for second place, on 6 and 7 points respectively. The two outfits will lock horns on December the 9th, in Glasgow.
GROUP H
The current top two of West Ham United (10 points) and Dinamo Zagreb (6 points), look the most likely qualifiers from Group H. That would mean that the Belgian club, Genk (4 points) or Rapid Wien from the Austrian capital (3 points), will be finishing their 2021/22 European campaign in the UECL. One will be out of Europe completely.
