Europa League Update: November 7th 2013

After the latest fixtures, the Europa League tables are starting to shape up quite nicely. In Group A the likes of Valencia and Swansea look relatively secure in their qualification hopes with 9 and 8 points respectively in comparison to St. Gallen's 3 and Kuban Krasnodar's 2. Group B is being absolutely dominated by a side few will have heard of: Bulgarian side Ludrogorets Razgrad with an astonishing 10 points from 4 games played! Second place is held somewhat firmly by PSV Eindhoven who would be very surprised not to qualify from this group. The Dutch side have 7 points. Chornomorets Odesa and Dinamo Zagreb round out the group with 4 and 1 points each. On to Group C where Salzburg have fought hard for their place at the top with a perfect 12 points to their name - three above closest competitors Esbjerg who have 9 points. Elfsborg and Standard de Liege have had abysmal campaigns this year with a total of 2 points between the two of them. As for Group D, Rubin Kazan have gone quite clear at the top with 10 points - 5 over 2nd place Wigan Athletic. The English side have been severely tested by the likes of Zulte Waregem and Maribor who have 4 and 3 respectively so I would expect some hard fought games coming up in the not too distant future as the fate of the group is decided. Group E has had the opposite story: Fiorentina have been perfect with 12 points, 2nd place Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk on 9, and Pandurii Targu Jiu and Pacos de Ferreira with 1 each. The only group with a German side at the top, Group F has Eintracht Frankfurt fighting to stay above water with 9 points while the hounds are right on their heels: Maccabi Tel-Aviv have 7, APOEL have earned 4 points, and - rather surprisingly - Bordeaux are at the bottom of the table with just 3 points! The +6 goal difference that the Germans have accrued means that it will take something special for them to not at the very least qualify from this group. Over in Group G Genk of Belgium and Dynamo Kyiv of Russia look like the best bets to get through with 8 and 7. Having said that, if Thun and Rapid Wien take their games up a notch, we might see a spectacular ending to this group. The only other group where a German side have any chance of making it through is Group H where Sevilla currently lead with 8 and Slovan Liberec (of the Czech Republic) have 6. Freiburg sit 3rd with 3 points - within striking distance as they face the Czechs in the Czech Republic and Sevilla in Germany. No one said it was an ideal situation! We'll have to wait and see. Portugal's Estoril Praia sit bottom with 2 points. Onwards to Group I! While not much of a surprise, Real Betis and Olympique Lyon have been unconvincing in getting to their 1st and 2nd positions. While admittedly undefeated each, they have consistently performed in some of the most boring games in the tournament. Portuguese side Vitoria scored 4 in a thorough demolition of bottom of the table Croatian side Rijeka, Lyon and Betis have scored a goal a game - drawing and just barely defeating the bottom of the table side. While I would love to see nothing more than Vitoria make it through - they do have a decent goal difference - at the expense of Lyon, chances are that won't happen. But wouldn't it be great? Groups J, K, and L are each relatively straightforward affairs with the usual suspects performing at or above expectations. In Group J, Trabzonspor of Turkey have remained undefeated alongside 2nd place Lazio as 3rd place Apollon Limassol will be hoping for a miracle with a 4 point gap between themselves and the teams on either side of them: Legia Warszawa have 0 in 4th position. Group K has lived up to predictions with Tottenham Hotspur claiming an 8 goal difference and a perfect 12. Anji Makhachkala have been making a name for themselves as they pick up the scraps - although they still have to face Spurs in England (after losing 0-2 at home in Russia). Be that as it may, they should get at least a point from hosting Moldovan side FC Sheriff. Bottom of the table Tromso with 1 point are left to fight for pride and wonder about what might have been. Last but certainly not least, Group L! Dutch side AZ Alkmaar and PAOK of Greece have moved well in establishing themselves in the group with 8 points each and a +2 goal difference. On the other hand, Maccabi Haifa and Shakhtar Karagandy will most likely be in a hurry to forget this international season since neither of them have shown any sign of improving on their lackluster performances thus far. Make sure to try to catch some of the games!