Marseille clamps down on the C4, no pressure for Lyon and Monaco
After their defeat (4-2) on the ground of Galatasaray, the Olympians gave up their chance to continue the adventure in C3. Thursday at the Velodrome (9:00 p.m.), they must avoid another setback against Lokomotiv Moscow to keep their third place which sends them to C4 play-offs.
The other representatives of Ligue 1 have them for the honor. Lyon, brilliant with 5 victories out of 5, can end the group stage with a perfect score. For that, he will have to defeat, at the Parc OL (6:45 p.m.), the Glasgow Rangers, already assured of playing the play-offs against a third of C1, in a match which will therefore have no accounting stake.
Suspense in Group C
No more suspense for Monaco, first in group B, who travels to Austria to face Sturm Graz, dead last. Nor for Rennes, a floor lower in the Europa League Conference, which already has his ticket in his pocket and will challenge Spurs at Tottenham in a gala match. But the men of Antonio Conte, them, learn a lot: they can eliminate in case of misstep. Additional tile, several cases of Covid have been identified in the workforce.
In the ASM group, Real Sociedad will have to beat, at home in Anoeta, PSV Eindhoven, to steal from the Dutch the ticket for the play-offs against a club transferred from the Champions League.
Elsewhere, Group C promises a breathtaking outcome, with the four teams holding on to … two points. Leicester, leader by a hair, travels to Naples (6:45 p.m.), while Spartak Moscow challenges Legia Warsaw.
Duel at the top in Group F, with the Red Star of Belgrade who will challenge the Portuguese of Braga. A draw ensures the Serbs to go to the eighth, but a defeat drops them directly to C4.
Thursday’s game schedule
Group A
(6:45 p.m.) Lyon (FRA) – Glasgow Rangers (SCO)
Sparta Prague (CZE) – Brøndby (DEN)
Group B
Sturm Graz (AUT) – Monaco (FRA)
Real Sociedad (ESP) – PSV Eindhoven (NED)
Group C
Naples (ITA) – Leicester (ENG)
Legia Warsaw (POL) – Spartak Moscow (RUS)
Group D
Fenerbahçe (TUR) – Eintracht Frankfurt (GER)
Antwerp (BEL) – Olympiakos (GRE)
Group E
(9 p.m.) Marseille (FRA) – Lokomotiv Moscow (RUS)
Lazio Rome (ITA) – Galatasaray (TUR)
Group F
Ludogorets (BUL) – Midtjylland (DEN)
Sporting Braga (POR) – Red Star Belgrade (SRB)
Group G
Ferencvaros (HUN) – Bayer Leverkusen (GER)
Celtic (SCO) – Sevilla Betis (ESP)
Group H
Genk (BEL) – Rapid Vienna (AUT)
West Ham (ANG) – Dinamo Zagreb (CRO)