Sheriff Tiraspol take on Omonia at the Sheriff Stadium in Group E's final Europa League match on Thursday night.

Both teams have failed to qualify for the knockout stages, but Tiraspol just need to avoid a defeat by a margin of three goals to ensure that they enter Europe's tertiary competition, the Europa Conference League.

Match preview

The home side have acquired just three points in the Europa League this season, and they are guaranteed to finish on fewer points than they did in their maiden Champions League campaign last season, in which they finished on seven points after beating eventual winners Real Madrid at the Bernabeu.

The Moldovan side have been unable to replicate the form that allowed them to punch above their weight last season, only picking up one win in Europe so far, a 3-0 away victory against Omonia at the start of September, and they currently sit in third place.

Those three goals against Thursday's opponents are all that Tiraspol have been able to muster up, losing 2-0 to Manchester United at home, and 3-0 at Old Trafford last week, with Cristiano Ronaldo on the scoresheet for the Red Devils in both games.

Prior to the trip to Manchester last week, manager Stjepan Tomas resigned from his post at the club, despite them being top of their domestic league, with the Croatian unhappy about a 1-0 defeat to second-place Petrocub Hincesti, so caretaker manager Victor Mihailov is set to take charge for their last Europa League fixture.

Mihailov was in the dugout for a 2-1 victory against Dacia Buiucani at the weekend, and he will be looking to continue his 100% record against a side that Tiraspol easily dispatched of in their last encounter.

Indeed, Omonia were brushed aside in the last meeting between the two clubs, and that has been the case for them in every Europa League game so far, yet to get a positive result in Group E, and one of just two teams in the competition not to have a single point to their name.

Unlike Tiraspol, the Cypriot side have managed to push both Sociedad and Manchester United all the way on occasion, losing 2-1 in Spain, and twice by one-goal margins against Manchester United, but they have nothing to show for their efforts.

The last game against Man United was particularly cruel, losing 1-0 at Old Trafford after a 93rd-minute Scott McTominay winner, a result that almost certainly ended their European adventure, with the chances of them winning by three in this encounter being very unlikely.

Recent league form does not bode well either, with Neil Lennon being dismissed as manager following a 1-0 defeat at home to Nea Salamis, a result that left them seventh in the Cypriot First Division.

The former Celtic boss has since been replaced by Belgian coach Yannick Ferrera, who got his first win as manager in a 2-0 victory over Anorthosis Famagusta on Monday, with Bruno and Andronikos Kakoullis on the scoresheet.