Six places in the Europa League's last 32 will be up for grabs tonight in the final round of group-stage matches, and some big clubs are in turmoil. Here are five sides with the heat of the spotlight on them:
1. Last days at Lazio?
Vladimir Petkovic has already agreed to become Switzerland coach after the World Cup, and with Lazio having won only one of 10 Serie A matches, a replacement is likely during the winter break – or sooner if Lazio does not perform well against Trabzonspor tonight. Both teams are fighting for first place in Group J.
2. New era for Sevilla
Sevilla president Jose Maria del Nido is facing seven years in prison for embezzlement of funds, and resigned on Monday from the position he has held since 2002. Sevilla, who won back-to-back Europa titles in 2006 and ’07, can clinch Group H with a draw at Freiburg.
3. Swansea's fate uncertain
Swansea secured the greatest result in their history in the opening group match – a 3-0 win at Valencia – but the Welsh team have quickly discovered the Europa League is not always a soft touch. Fortunate to beat Swiss team St Gallen 1-0 at home in their second game, Michael Laudrup’s side have only picked up two points from their past three fixtures to leave qualification in the balance.
4. European joy for Lyon
Between 1999 and 2013, Lyon have only once failed to finish in the top three in Ligue 1. But this year, the team is in 10th place. Things are different in the Europa League, though, as Lyon have qualified for the knock-out stage and will top Group I by beating Vitoria Guimaraes tonight. The sides drew 1-1 at Stade Gerland in October.
5. Big boys join the fray
The third-place teams in eight Uefa Champions League groups will drop into the Europa League for the last 32, with the draw taking place on Monday. Three of those – Shakhtar Donetsk, Benfica and Viktoria Plzen – were decided on Tuesday. Chelsea, who won the 2013 Europa League, began that season in the Champions League.
The three clubs that shifted to Europa League on Tuesday were joined by Juventus, Basel, Napoli, Porto and Ajax after Wednesday's round concluded.
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- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
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Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
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EGYPT SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Ahmed El Shennawy, Mohamed El Shennawy, Mohamed Abou-Gabal, Mahmoud Abdel Rehem "Genesh"
Defenders: Ahmed Elmohamady, Ahmed Hegazi, Omar Gaber, Ali Gazal, Ayman Ahsraf, Mahmoud Hamdy, Baher Elmohamady, Ahmed Ayman Mansour, Mahmoud Alaa, Ahmed Abou-Elfotouh
Midfielders: Walid Soliman, Abdallah El Said, Mohamed Elneny, Tarek Hamed, Mahmoud “Trezeguet” Hassan, Amr Warda, Nabil Emad
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Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
