Celta, Athletic & Villarreal vie to clinch Europa League last-32 spots

As the Europa League group stage nears its conclusion, Villarreal CF, RC Celta and Athletic Club are all immersed in an intense battle to seal a place in the tournament's last 32, a feat that all three teams could achieve on Thursday.

The side with the best chances of securing progress this matchday are Celta. The Galicians' qualification destiny is firmly in their own hands, as Eduardo Berizzo's charges host Standard Liege in a winner-takes-all showdown at 19:00 CET. The sides played out a 1-1 stalemate in Belgium on the opening matchday and now find themselves fighting it out for the remaining qualification berth in Group G. Should Celta prevail, they'll progress to the last 32 regardless of what happens in the final round of fixtures. However, if the Belgians win in Vigo, that would spell the end of the Celestes' European adventure.
Meanwhile, if the encounter ends all square, it would leave things finely poised going into the last round of group games. Berizzo - who has to contend with injuries to Fabian Orellana and Claudio Beauvue - will be looking for his troops to deliver on what's poised to be a memorable night at Balaidos.

Who could go through on matchday five?

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— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) November 21, 2016

Elsewhere, over in Switzerland, Villarreal will be looking to bounce back in their visit to FC Zurich (19:00 CET) after their 2-1 home reverse against Osmanlıspor last time out. Fran Escriba's men are currently lying in third and are on the same points as Thursday night's second-placed opponents. Victory for the Yellow Submarine would see them clinch their place in the next round, providing that rock-bottom FC Steaua Bucharest fail to beat leaders Osmanlıspor. Speaking in the build-up to the clash, left-back Jaume Costa stated that, "We lost there two years ago. We know that they'll be dangerous, but it would be a mistake to go into it thinking that we can't win. We're really confident of our chances."

Last to enter the fray, at 21:05 CET, will be Athletic Club, who entertain US Sassuolo. Ernesto Valverde's side will have revenge on their minds following their 3-0 away defeat in Italy back on Matchday 1. Athletic, who are well-placed in second, will be intent on claiming all three points at San Mames to put themselves within touching distance of the knockout stages. A triumph for the Bilbao-based outfit, coupled with victory for KRC Genk over Rapid Vienna, would guarantee progress, whilst any other set of results would leave Los Leones with it all to do on the final matchday.