ISTANBUL
Last group matches in the Europa League will be played Thursday evening, with Istanbul’s Fenerbahce and Besiktas seeming likely to advance to the last 32.
Fenerbahce, who lie second in Group A on eight points, host Scottish side Celtic while Besiktas, who lead Group H on nine points, take on Sporting Lisbon in Portugal.
In Fenerbahce’s group, Norwegian club Molde lead with 10 points. They face third-placed Ajax.
A draw will be enough to ensure Fenerbahce go to the next round. Celtic, who have collected two points in five matches, are unable to go further.
“Finishing the group as leaders will be important,” Fenerbahce manager Vitor Pereira said at a news conference on Wednesday.
“We will be coming out of the group if we draw but losing the match may mean elimination. The only aim is to win.”
Pereira said star forward Robin van Persie may miss the game due to injury.
“I don't know that he will be ready for tomorrow or not,” he said. “We will evaluate the situation with our physios after today's training session. I can say that he does not have major injury.”
Centre-back Simon Kjaer and winger Nani are suspended while defender Hakan Cinemre and midfielder Raul Meireles are injured.
The match at Sukru Saracoglu Stadium will kicks off at 8 p.m. local time (1800GMT).
Group A standings:
Teams | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | +/- | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Molde | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 10 |
Fenerbahce | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 8 |
Ajax | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 6 |
Celtic | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 11 | -4 | 2 |
Sporting Lisbon, who are third in Group H with seven points, host Besiktas with the visitors needing a point to reach the next stage.
Besiktas defender Ersan Gulum will miss the match due to a thigh injury and winger Gokhan Tore is doubtful due to a knee injury.
The group’s second-placed team Lokomotiv Moscow are on eight points and visit Albania’s Skenderbeu, who have collected three points so far.
The match at the Jose Alvalade Stadium will kick off at 8.05 p.m. local time in Portugal (2005GMT).
Group H standings:
Teams | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | +/- | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Besiktas | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 9 |
Lokomotiv Moscow | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 8 |
Sporting Lisbon | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 10 | 1 | 7 |
Skenderbeu | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 10 | -6 | 3 |
The winners and runners-up of the groups and eight teams from Champions League will be in the knock-out round, to be drawn on Dec. 14.
Europa League fixtures:
Fenerbahce (Turkey) vs Celtic (Scotland)
Ajax (Netherlands) vs Molde (Norway)
Bordeaux (France) vs Rubin Kazan (Russia)
Sion (Switzerland) vs Liverpool (England)
Qabala (Azerbaijan) vs Krasnodar (Russia)
Borussia Dortmund (Germany) vs PAOK (Greece)
Midtjylland (Denmark) vs Club Brugge (Belgium)
Napoli (Italy) vs Legia (Poland)
Rapid Wien (Austria) vs Dinamo Minsk (Belarus)
Viktoria Plzen (Czech Republic) vs Villarreal (Spain)
Slovan Liberec (Czech Republic) vs Olympique Marseille (France)
Groningen (Netherlands) vs Braga (Portugal)
Dnipro (Ukraine) vs Rosenborg (Norway)
Saint-Etienne (France) vs Lazio (Italy)
Sporting Lisbon (Portugal) vs Besiktas (Turkey)
Skenderbeu (Albania) vs Lokomotiv Moscow (Russia)
Fiorentina (Italy) vs Belenenses (Portugal)
Lech (Poland) vs Basel (Switzerland)
Anderlecht (Belgium) vs Qarabag (Azerbaijan)
Tottenham Hotspur (England) vs Monaco (France)
APOEL (Greek Cypriot Adm.) vs Sparta Prague (Czech Republic)
Asteras (Greece) vs Schalke 04 (Germany)
Partizan (Serbia) vs Augsburg (Germany)
Athletic Bilbao (Spain) vs AZ Alkmaar (Netherlands)