As the UEFA Europa League enters its sixth round, the buzz among fans turns to one key question: how many points do teams need to secure a place in the Round of 16?Opta's analysis shows that a team with 16 points from eight matches has a 98% chance of finishing in the top eight, while the chances for a team with 15 points drop to 73%. A team with less than 14 points, i.e. one point less, will see its chances plummet to 28%. At the moment, it seems that Liverpool and Inter Milan will basically lock up a place in the Round of 16 if they win this round of matches.
So what happens if a team fails to secure a spot in the top eight? The Swiss-based league offers a solution. If a team is ranked between 9th and 24th, it still has a chance to qualify for the play-offs through two rounds of play-offs. Generally speaking, 10 points will secure a team a ticket to the play-offs, while a team with 9 points has a 69% chance of advancing.
Defending champions Real Madrid are currently on 6 points, and a win in all three remaining matches will see them progress to the last eight. The other giants, Paris Saint-Germain, have only four points and will face Salzburg, Manchester City at home and Stega on the road in their next three matches. whether PSG can score enough points in this hard-fought battle to move on is certainly a huge challenge.
