With their defeat by Rangers in Scotland, Ludogorets lost their position in the zone that gives them the right to advance to the elimination phase of the Europa League. Currently, the "eagles" are in 25th place with seven points, and only one position higher would send them to the 1/16-finals, writes Sportal.bg.
Thus, Ludogorets' home game against Nice on Thursday, which is the last match of the Bulgarian champion in the phase, is also the last chance for Per-Matthias Hoegmo's graduates to advance.
There are several possible scenarios for this to happen, and only in case of a loss will Ludogorets have no chance of qualifying. The reason is that Celtic, currently in 24th place, has a point more after their draw with Bologna in the last match.
If Ludogorets draws against the French team in Razgrad, the chances are minimal, but still exist. The Bulgarian team will have to hope for a mandatory loss for Celtic at home against Utrecht, in which case the goal difference of the two teams will be considered. At the moment it is equal, but if the “Clovers“ lose, the situation will develop in favor of the Razgrad team. In addition, none of the teams of Feyenoord, Basel, Salzburg, FCSB and Go Ahead Eagles should win their match, since they all have 6 points and if successful they would collect 9.
A victory is, of course, the best option for Ludogorets, since then the chances of the “Eagles“ are significantly larger, although again not everything will depend entirely on them. The main competitors of the Bulgarian team and the matches that Per-Matthias Högmo's graduates will be interested in will be those of Celtic, Young Boys, Brann, Lille and Dinamo Zagreb. If one of the first four teams listed loses and Ludogorets wins, the Bulgarian champion will certainly qualify for the next round. Only if Dinamo Zagreb loses will the points of the two teams be equal and then the better goal difference will be considered, which is currently in favor of the Croatians. If Celtic draws, the team from Razgrad will again advance, and if there is a draw between the teams of Young Boys, Brann and Lille, the goal difference will again be compared. At the moment, the “Eagles” have a better one only compared to Young Boys. We remind you that in the event of a draw in the goal difference, the number of goals scored is considered – a scenario that is also not ruled out.
Here are the important matches that Ludogorets will have to follow in parallel with their clash, as all matches will be played at the same time.
Celtic – Utrecht, Stuttgart – Young Boys, Sturm Graz – Brann, Lille – Freiburg and Midtjylland - Dinamo Zagreb
There are options for Ludogorets, and the chances are not even small, but most of them go through the team's mandatory victory at home against Nice on Thursday.