Manchester United, Hotspur Aim for Europa League Last 16 & Rest

Photo : AFP

Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are fighting for a place in the last 16 of the Europa League. On Thursday, nine spots in the knockout rounds are still open. The top eight teams will move on automatically, while teams ranked 9th to 24th will have to play extra games in the playoff round next month.

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Even though both Manchester United and Tottenham are struggling in the Premier League, they are doing better in the Europa League. United just needs one point in their last match against FCSB, a team from Romania, to be in the top eight. FCSB also has a chance to make it to the next round if they win.

United’s coach, Ruben Amorim, is hoping to get some time off from extra matches so he can train his team. Since he became the coach, they have played 17 games in just 64 days. United has won four Europa League games in a row, and just needs one point to stay in the top eight.

FCSB player Florin Tanase is confident they can win against United. He said, "We have done it before, and we can do it again."

Tottenham’s coach, Ange Postecoglou, is under pressure. The team has lost six of their last seven games in the Premier League and is now fighting to avoid being dropped to a lower league. Tottenham needs to win their final Europa League match against Elfsborg to make it to the next round. A win could also give Postecoglou more time to get his injured players back.

Lazio is the only team already in the last 16. Other teams like Anderlecht, Athletic Bilbao, Eintracht Frankfurt, Galatasaray, Lyon, Manchester United, Tottenham, FCSB, AZ Alkmaar, Bodo/Glimt, Olympiacos, Rangers, Union Saint-Gilloise, and Viktoria Plzen are sure to play in the playoff round.

Some big clubs are in danger of being knocked out. Porto, who have won the European Cup twice, are not in the top 24 and need to win their game against Maccabi Tel Aviv to stay in the competition. The match will be played in Belgrade because of problems in the Middle East.

Roma is also at risk. They are in 21st place and will play a tough match against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Ajax, a team with four European titles, started well but has lost three games in a row. They must win their final game against Galatasaray in Amsterdam to stay in the competition.