This week sees the final league-phase matches of the UEFA Europa League.
With places in the last 16 and the playoffs up for grabs, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have plenty to play for.
Football writer Ben Bloom looks at what is at stake for both clubs, as well as what's next for Chelsea in the UEFA Conference League.
The stakes in the final Europa League matches on Thursday at 20:00 GMT are identical to that of the UEFA Champions League.
The top eight teams will head straight into the last 16 on 6 and 13 March, while the teams placed ninth to 24th face a two-legged playoff on 13 and 20 February.
Manchester United (4th)
Final league-phase fixture: FCSB (A)
Results
| Opponent | Result | Home/away |
|---|---|---|
| Twente | 1-1 (D) | H |
| Porto | 3-3 (D) | A |
| Fenerbahce | 1-1 (D) | A |
| PAOK | 2-0 (W) | H |
| Bodo/Glimt | 3-2 (W) | H |
| Viktoria Plzen | 1-2 (W) | A |
| Rangers | 2-1 (W) | H |
Bruno Fernandes’s late goal to see off Rangers last week has put Manchester United in with a strong chance of progressing straight through to last 16.
Sitting in fourth place with 15 points, Ruben Amorim’s side have a two-point gap above the playoff places, meaning a draw at Romanian team FCSB could be enough to secure a top-eight spot, depending on results elsewhere.
Victory would guarantee them a place in the last 16 and they could finish as high as second, which would provide joint-top seeding.
If they remain in fourth place, their potential last-16 opponents would currently be Rangers, AZ, Midtjylland or Elfsborg.
Tottenham Hotspur (6th)
Final league-phase fixture: IF Elfsborg (H)
Results
| Opponent | Result | Home/away |
|---|---|---|
| Qarabag | 3-0 (W) | H |
| Ferencvaros | 1-2 (W) | A |
| AZ | 1-0 (W) | H |
| Galatasaray | 2-3 (L) | A |
| Roma | 2-2 (D) | H |
| Rangers | 1-1 (D) | A |
| Hoffenheim | 2-3 (W) | A |
Just one point behind Man Utd, the situation is similar for Spurs, who know a win against Elfsborg would ensure last-16 football.
Like United, they could feasibly finish as high as second in the table depending on results elsewhere on Thursday.
A draw might also be enough to keep them in the top eight and circumnavigate the playoffs, while defeat would take matters firmly out of their own hands.
The lowest Spurs could finish is 15th, but while a spot in the playoffs is guaranteed, Ange Postecoglou will be desperate to avoid the strain of additional fixtures on his threadbare squad.
Should they advance in their current position of sixth, their last-16 opponents as it stands would be Viktoria Plzen, Olympiakos, Roma or Ferencvaros. But that could all change on Thursday.
UEFA Conference League
Chelsea (1st)
Results
| Opponent | Result | Home/away |
|---|---|---|
| Gent | 4-2 (W) | H |
| Panathinaikos | 1-4 (W) | A |
| Noah | 8-0 (W) | H |
| Heidenheim | 0-2 (W) | A |
| Astana | 1-3 (W) | A |
| Shamrock Rovers | 5-1 (W) | H |
The league phase of the Conference League required teams to play six, rather than eight, matches.
By winning all six of their matches, Chelsea secured top seeding for the round of 16 so will not return to European duties for some time.
They will face either the winner of Gent v Real Betis or Copenhagen v Heidenheim in the last 16 on 6 and 13 March.
The Conference League playoff fixtures will take place on February 13 and 20.
A bonus Champions League spot?
While the seven Premier League sides are all fighting to prolong their involvement in European competition, they are also battling on behalf of their domestic rivals to earn an extra place in Europe for English clubs next season.
The expansion of the Champions League for the 2024/25 season meant four additional places were created in the competition.
Two of those are awarded according to the European Performance Spots, which are awarded to the top two nations with the best collective performance by their clubs in the previous season’s UEFA club competitions.
This season, Bologna and Borussia Dortmund benefited from Italy and Germany topping the 2023/24 chart.
Currently, England and Italy are leading the way in this year’s UEFA competition standings.
Should all seven English clubs progress to the knockout phases of their respective competitions it would make it highly likely that the Premier League will receive an extra UEFA Champions League spot for next season.
That would mean this year’s Premier League top five clubs all playing in Europe’s leading competition next season, with three others qualifying for the Europa League and Conference League.