Gunners set to lead charge into Europa last 32

BERLIN: Arsenal and AC Milan are among a dozen teams who can clinch a place in the Europa League knock-out stage today.

Arsenal host Red Star Belgrade at the Emirates and will be in the last 32 with victory, or if they draw and Bate Borisov don’t win the other Group H game at bottom club Cologne.

Group D leaders Milan are also through if they win at second-placed AEK Athens.

The other two Serie A clubs, Lazio and Atalanta, can also advance, along with Dynamo Kiev, Ludogorets Razgrad, Steaua Bucharest, Red Bull Salzburg, Ostersund, Zorya Luhansk, Nice and Zenit St Petersburg.

At the other end of the spectrum, Cologne and fellow Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin face elimination on matchday four, as do struggling Everton.

Arsenal are among four sides with a maximum nine points from three games, the others being Lazio, Steaua and Zenit.

The Gunners prevailed 1-0 in Belgrade from Olivier Giroud’s late strike, and victory in London in their second meeting tonight would also boost morale ahead of Sunday’s Premier League date at leaders Manchester City.

Winless Everton’s qualifying hopes hang by a thread by comparison as they visit France’s Olympique Lyon. The Toffees are bottom of Group E and another loss, combined with group leaders Atalanta avoiding defeat at Apollon Limassol, would eliminate them.

Everton are in the midst of a seven-game winless run which saw manager Ronald Koeman sacked, and interim boss David Unsworth said after Sunday’s 2-0 loss to Leicester City that it is time to turn the tide.

“We want to get on a winning run but we can’t be where we are and expect to win every game,” he said.

“We know we have to pick ourselves up. We have to go again, we have a game on Thursday.”