Europa League: Toulouse is almost there, OM and Rennes must conclude... 5 questions about Thursday's matches

The Europa League group stage will deliver its verdict this Thursday evening. Three French clubs (Marseille, Rennes and Toulouse) will be affected, in addition to Lille in the Europa Conference League. The rankings game is of great importance in these competitions, more than in the Champions League.

The top eight in the Europa League groups qualify for the round of 16. The runners-up are sent to a play-off, a sort of round of 16, where they will face the third-placed teams in the Champions League, which includes RC Lens. Finishing first means avoiding an extra lap.

As for the third in the Europa League, they are transferred to the Europa Conference League, where they also face the second in the C4 groups in a sort of round of 16. Lille therefore has every interest in validating first place in its group to reach the round of 16 directly.

If there is a French club that plays big, it is Toulouse. TFC can no longer catch up with Liverpool in Group E and must secure 2nd place ahead of Union Saint-Gilloise. For that, he must win or draw against the Austrians at LASK on Thursday (6:45 p.m.), or lose and hope that Liverpool do not lose in Belgium. It would therefore be very surprising if the Violets finished in the Europa Conference League.

Rennes and Marseille are leaders of their group and face their runner-up with the only challenge being first place. Rennes receives Villarreal (6:45 p.m.) and OM travels to Brighton (9 p.m.). A draw would be enough for the two French teams to go directly to the round of 16.

Lille will still be European in the spring. Undefeated leaders of Group A (3 wins, 2 draws), the Mastiffs must beat the Faroese of Klaksvík on Thursday (9 p.m.) to guarantee their first place. Otherwise they will be dependent on the result of Slovan Bratislava against Olimpija Ljubljana, the Slovak club being only one point behind them. “It’s not over, I want first place,” Lille coach Paulo Fonseca already warned after the victory in Ljubljana on November 30 (0-2).

Étienne Capoue (35 years old, Villarreal): 21 matches including 15 starts this season. He is one of those French people who flourish in complete discretion abroad. Étienne Capoue, former Toulouse player, has established himself as a key element at Villarreal, winner of the Europa League in 2021 six months after his arrival, and who still harbors great ambitions. Capoue, a defensive midfielder with 7 caps (the last of which was in 2013), hopes to spoil the party in Rennes and steal first place in the group.

Jordan Veretout (30 years old, Marseille): Precious in Lorient on Sunday beyond his decisive pass for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2-4 victory), the Olympian midfielder accumulates big performances. Ball raker, watchdog in front of the defense and available to project himself, Veretout imposes himself as leader, especially in the absence of Valentin Rongier, injured. “We had a very good first half but we must not be satisfied with that, our second half does not reflect what we want to do,” he stressed to Amazon Prime Video microphone on Sunday, inviting his team to “play with experience and sometimes calm things down.” His experience could weigh heavily in the trip to Brighton this Thursday.

ALSO SEE – The best of Jordan Veretout with OM last season

Martin Terrier (26 years old, Rennes): Slowly but surely, the Breton striker is finding his bearings, two months after returning to the field. Before, he had hardly played in 2023, due to a rupture of the cruciate ligament in his right knee. “I went through difficult stages that before I didn’t think I could get through. Mentally, I have grown,” he appreciated last November. He scored his first goal of the season against Maccabi Haifa two weeks ago (0-3), with a precise shot from the right. Finally launched?

They will also be out: Alphonse Areola (West Ham), Ibrahima Konaté (Liverpool), Étienne Capoue (Villarreal), Djibril Sidibé (AEK Athens), Enzo Crivelli (Servette FC), Jonathan Clauss (Marseille), Adrien Truffert, Ludovic Blas , Benjamin Bourigeaud and Arnaud Kalimuendo (Rennes)

Only one group promises great suspense: C, that of Real Betis (9 points), Glasgow Rangers (8) Sparta Prague (7) and Aris Limassol (4). Betis, who will do without the still injured Nabil Fekir, must beat Glasgow (9 p.m.) to secure their place in the round of 16.

For the rest, we will follow the West Ham-Fribourg final (9 p.m.) for first place in group A, or the one between AEK Athens and Ajax (9 p.m.) in Amsterdam to find out who will finish behind Brighton and OM, and will thus be transferred to the Europa Conference League. The Dutch club is obliged to win to join Lille in C4.