Jostling starts for final positions

Unbeaten home record
A victory in Belgrade for either FK Partizan or Villarreal CF, who are both unbeaten in Group E, will secure the winners a place in the next round. Middlesbrough FC, who lead the group with six points from their opening three matches, are not playing, and will be knocked off top spot unless Partizan - whose unbeaten home record against Spanish opposition dates back to the 1950s - and Villarreal draw.

Lazio's faint hopes
However, if S.S. Lazio beat Egaleo FC, Middlesbrough FC, who are not playing, will also advance as they cannot finish outside the top three. Lazio, who have failed to win any of their opening three matches, can only sustain their hopes of qualifying if they win at Egaleo in their final match and even then they will be heavily reliant on results elsewhere.

Something must give 
AZ Alkmaar and Rangers FC meet in an intriguing Group F game having won their last 17 European and domestic matches between them. But something will have to give in the Netherlands and whoever wins will guarantee their progress into the last 32. Both would advance if the match was drawn and AJ Auxerre failed to beat KS Amica Wronki in the section's other match.

Benfica looking forwards
SL Benfica can be sure of European competition after Christmas if they inflict a third successive defeat on bottom-placed KSK Beveren in their Group G match in Belgium. The Eagles' UEFA Champions League campaign came to an end in the same country in August but even a point here would suffice provided there is a winner in the other match between NK Dinamo Zagreb and SC Heerenveen.

Pivotal
Both Dinamo and Heerenveen had a win and a loss in their two previous group games and their meeting at the Maksimir stadium in the Croatian capital is pivotal to their prospects in a tightly-contested group.

Two could advance
FC Zenit St. Peterburg and Sevilla FC could both ensure their progress to the last 32 from Group H with victories over TSV Alemannia Aachen and AEK Athens FC respectively But Aachen could also make sure of their place if they beat Zenit and AEK fail to beat Sevilla. Such a sequence of results would also guarantee qualification for the group leaders LOSC Lille Métropole, who do not play tonight.

uefa.com will provide live coverage of all eight matches. For the latest group standings click here