English Premier League (EPL) giants Arsenal and Manchester United will both be seeking to secure a spot in the knockout round of the Europa League when they take the field in their final group fixtures on Thursday.

EPL leaders Arsenal are set to host FC Zurich at the Emirates Stadium in their Europa League fixture.

The Gunners who missed the opportunity to secure their spot in the round of 16 last week, after stuttering at PSV, going down 2-0, will have eyes only on maximum points in this encounter.

Arsenal who leads Group A with 12 points, needs a win to ensure they take top honors and qualify for the knockout stage.

Anything less than a victory for the London club, leaves the door open for second-place PSV to swipe that automatic spot. The Dutch club who trail the Gunners by two points have a superior goal average, of 10 goals to Arsenal’s 4.

A factor that could become a vital statistic should they win their game against Bodo Glimt and Arsenal drop points.

 In a scenario where both clubs are level on points PSV advance automatically on goals.

In Group E, it’s the reverse for second place United.

Man U [12 points] will be aiming for a large victory over group leader Real Sociedad [15 points] when they visit Estadio de Anoeta, Spain for their fixture.

Anything less than a victory for the Red Devils will condemn them to a playoff for the chance of the knockout.

As per UEFA rules, only group winners of the Europa competition are granted automatic progression to the round of 16, while second place will face Eliminated teams from the tier 1 Champion League tournament.