The Europa League has entered one of its most important match days as the top teams in the competition look to secure their spot in the knockout phase.

Europe's second top club competition is interesting this season thanks to the presence of some top clubs like Ajax and Liverpool.

Jurgen Klopp's men compete after a poor 2022/2023 season that saw them miss out on a place in the Premier League's top four.

Their presence in the Europa League means big stars like Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez are also playing in it this season.

Liverpool is not the only top club in the competition, as Ajax, who reached the Champions League semi-final in 2019, and Jose Mourinho's AS Roma are also in it.

While the Reds will almost certainly finish the group stages as group leaders, the same cannot be said of some other top clubs in the current competition.

After four rounds of games, some teams are in a better position than others, while clubs like Bayer Leverkusen have already secured a place in the competition's knockout stages.

Liverpool is expected to join them, which means the Reds must recover from their dismal loss to Toulouse in France in their last game.

Jurgen Klopp's men can achieve this and will almost certainly do so, but which other top club will secure a place in the next round of the competition?

Matchday 5 is an important date to the fans of every club in the Europa League and supporters who invest in Europa League tickets want to have value for their money for as much as possible.

In this article, we look at some of the key matches that will be exciting to watch and give you reasons to purchase their tickets.

Marseille vs Ajax

Ajax and Marseille found themselves in a tough group that also included Brighton and AEK Athens, and it was one of the toughest groups to predict.

Even if anyone wanted to predict the final standings, nobody would know Ajax would be at the bottom of the log after four matches.

The Dutchmen are a European powerhouse and have always been terrific on the continent.

But they have collected just two points from four group games so far and will be eager to get a result in France in this game.

If they win their remaining two games, things will become exciting, and they will aim for that, having been resurgent in recent weeks.

Olympique Marseille is at the top of the group now with eight points from their opening four games of the campaign and would be eager to seal their passage to the next round with a win in this match.

The reverse of this fixture ended in a thrilling 3-3 drawing, showing how close these clubs are. It will also be interesting to see how they come at each other in this fixture.

Atalanta vs Sporting CP

Two of the most exciting attacking teams meet in this game as Ruben Amorim's side visits Gian Piero Gasperini's Atalanta.

La Dea is the most attacking team in the Italian top flight, and their manager has made them look very pleasing to the eye despite discarding the traditional defensive-first approach we all know Italian teams for.

Amorim is one of the youngest managers in the world at 38 and the third most expensive manager ever after Sporting Clube paid Braga €10 million for his services.

That fee proved a good investment after he ended their 19-year wait for a league crown.

Sporting is superb in Europe under him, and they eliminated Arsenal from the Europa League last season.

This game will be between two clubs who are unashamedly attacking sides, and we will see an exciting game as was the case in the first leg, which Atalanta won thanks to two early goals.

Toulouse vs Union SG

Toulouse shocked Europe by defeating Liverpool 3-2 in their home on match day 4, which blew the group open and means they have a chance of qualifying for the next round.

Union SG has been terrific in the Belgian top flight for the last few terms and is at the top of their domestic standings at the moment.

In their Europa League campaign, only Liverpool has defeated them, but a draw at home in the first leg of this fixture means they are behind Toulouse by three points at this stage.

They face early elimination from the competition, and this game is a must-win for them.

Alexander Blessin's side was very difficult for Liverpool to play at Anfield and only lost the game by a lone strike; they can get a result in this game if they are in their best form.

But Toulouse followed up that win against Liverpool with a draw at Lille. That victory has handed them a major confidence boost and they will be out for all the points in this match.

Villarreal vs Panathinaikos

Villarreal won the Europa League in 2021, so they are one of the favourites to compete in it, but the Spanish side is behind Rennes in their group after four matches.

This means they face an early exit from a competition they know how to compete in, which makes this game a must-win for them.

They have just two points more than Panathinaikos, and the Greeks would be eager to get the win and topple their Spanish hosts.

In the first leg, the Greeks showed they could defeat anyone in the group with a clean 2-0 win.

Travelling to Spain is a different ball game, but the last time they visited Villarreal was in the Champions League in 2009 and they secured a 1-1 draw.

They need a win this time as much as the Yellow Submarine does, but the home side will be under more pressure to win, which could be a huge advantage for the visitors.

Sparta Prague vs Real Betis

Under Manuel Pellegrini, Real Betis has been one of the most competitive Spanish sides in recent memory, and their form in Europe is also impressive.

They are at the top of Group C ahead of the Rangers before this game, but Sparta Prague is chasing the second spot in the group, so it will be a game to win for the home side.

Betis remains unbeaten for ten consecutive games as of the November international break, and they will be full of confidence ahead of this match.

This is the form of a team that could win this competition, but they will want to top the group to avoid meeting a team from the Champions League in the next round.

However, Sparta must win to maintain their slim hopes of making the knockout stages.

If they defeat Betis, they will stop Rangers from confirming their place in the next round of the competition if the Gers win their fixture.

This is an unexpectedly tight end to the group stage, and Betis knows a late slip-up could cost them the knockout ticket.

The following two matchdays in the Europa League will present some exciting matches as the teams look to seal qualification to the knockout stages.

There are many matches to watch, and these are the game tickets you absolutely should buy because they will be worth watching.