Desh Parthab takes a look at five players who could shoot the lights out in the final group stage matchday of the Europa League including Tammy Abraham and Pedro!
Jose Mourinho won the Europa Conference League with Roma last season but will be keen to avoid a return to that competition. Roma come into this evening’s Group C encounter level on points with Ludogorets, who they will do battle against in a straight shoot-out for progression.
Fellow Italian outfit Lazio will guarantee a spot in the knockouts if they can leave Feyenoord with a point. Arsenal are favourites to lift the Europa League but could have some competition with European heavyweights Barcelona, Juventus and Manchester United very much in the running.
RB Salzburg and Shaktar will also join the Europa League in the knockout stages, after crashing out of the Champions League. Ahead of MD6, the tournament’s highest scorers, PSV (13), currently sit 2nd in Group A, following their 2-0 win over the Gunners last time out.
Here are five players who could get the job done for their sides tonight:
Pedro having a ball at Lazio
After his goal against Sturm Graz on MD4, Pedro followed that up with a strike against Midtjylland last time out, finding the net in successive appearances (in major European competitions) for the first time since May 2019. The Lazio dangerman has been involved in four goals during his 10 league appearances in Serie A this season. The 35-year-old has attempted 11 shots and created seven chances in the Italian topflight and could get on the scoresheet this evening.
Pedro IS ON FIRE🔥#Lazio pic.twitter.com/88e7EQztnS
— Ahmed Atef (@ArsenalAhmed_4) August 26, 2022
Abraham key to Roma’s last 32 hopes
Tammy Abraham is set to fire his side into the knockout stages. The Englishman has attempted nine shots across his previous three outings, across all competitions. He returned a goal during that spell, but did hit the woodwork twice and missed three big chances (check out one of those below) so keep an eye out for him. A word to the wise: Roma have lost three of their previous four home fixtures, across all competitions.
How did Tammy Abraham miss this?😭😭 pic.twitter.com/xmU5PkxZ6E
— 🇮🇹 (@milanprop) October 31, 2022
Red Star looking to Kanga for a big performance
FK Crvena Zvezda come into the final round of group stage matches on the back of five straight wins, across all competitions. The Serbian outfit, more commonly known in the Anglosphere Red Star Belgrade, have maintained an undefeated start to their domestic season, but currently sit bottom of Group H. Despite this, only a single point separates this evening’s opposition, who are currently in second place. Guelor Kanga could be the difference between the two sides. The talisman has returned two goals from his eight shots in the competition, including a goal of the tournament contender. Check it out below:
🇬🇦 Guélor Kanga wins #UEL Goal of the Week with his sensational Matchday 3 strike 🎯@Heineken | #UELGOTW pic.twitter.com/ClGXV2HrA8
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) October 7, 2022
Red-hot Vitinha could inspire Braga to Ro32
Vitinha (G4 A1) has been involved in five goals in his five tournament appearances. The dangerman has registered nine shots on target in the competition thus far – only two players in the competition have notched up more. The 22-year-old has attempted six shots, missing three big chances across his previous three appearances across all competitions. Braga are still able to qualify for the round of 32 – but will need a win to stand any chance of progressing.
Vitinha needs to be called up for Portugal in 2023. They’ve struggled to find a suitable fit at center forward, but he’s quickly reaching elite levels at Braga. pic.twitter.com/I7Y7LfLkvN
— Zach Lowy (@ZachLowy) October 22, 2022
Midtjylland and Isaksen down, but not out
Gustav Isaksen has bagged three goals across his five tournament appearances thus far. The dangerman has attempted 11 shots, with more than half of them being on target. Furthermore, he struck the woodwork twice and missed one big chance during that period. FC Midtjylland have lost just one of their nine home matches in the UEL (W4 D4) to date. That included a stunning 5-1 win over Lazio on MD2.
⚫️🔴 Gustav Isaksen with the spin & finish 💫@fcmidtjylland | #UEL pic.twitter.com/O47RkT3cG9
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) November 3, 2022
