Chelsea boosted their hopes of European qualification after denting Spurs’ Champions League ambitions. They are up against Man Utd and Newcastle for what could be the Premier League’s last spot.
As ever, there are few certainties but plenty of variables at play as the season enters the final stages.
Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool have qualified for the Champions League.
However, the prospect of the Premier League earning an additional Champions League place has now ended – only Italy and Germany will have five teams in the Champions League next year.
That means Aston Villa and Tottenham are effectively going head to head for the fourth and final CL spot.
Villa are currently seven points above Tottenham, who have a game in hand.
Aston Villa’s remaining fixtures
May 5: Brighton (A) – Premier League, kick-off 2pm
May 9: Olympiakos (A) – Europa Conference League semi-final second leg, kick-off 8pm
May 13: Liverpool (H) – Premier League, kick-off 8pm
May 19: Crystal Palace (A) – Premier League, kick-off 4pm
Tottenham’s remaining fixtures
May 5: Liverpool (A) – Premier League, kick-off 4.30pm, live on Sky Sports
May 11: Burnley (H) – Premier League, kick-off 3pm
May 14: Man City (H) – Premier League, kick-off 8pm, live on Sky Sports
May 19: Sheffield United (A) – Premier League, kick-off 4pm
Who will qualify for the Europa League?
Fifth place in the Premier League will qualify for next season’s Europa League, with the team going directly into the new league phase, rather than needing to play any additional qualifying or play-off game. Tottenham are currently in position to take this spot.
With a six-point gap between Tottenham and sixth-placed Manchester United, the identity of the top five is, at present at least, seemingly settled.
However, there is a second Europa League spot available – and United could take that…
What happens if Man Utd win the FA Cup…and what happens if they don’t?
The winners of the FA Cup also take a place in the Europa League.
If the winners of the FA Cup, which will be either Man Utd or Man City, finish in the top five of the Premier League – and therefore qualify for the Champions League or Europa League through their league position – their Europa League spot for FA Cup glory will be passed down to the next-highest ranked Premier League side not competing in Europe.
As it stands: Who qualifies for Europe if Man Utd win the FA Cup?
Champions League: Arsenal, Man City, Liverpool, Aston Villa
Europa League: Tottenham, Man Utd (as FA Cup winners)
UEFA Conference League: Newcastle
As it stands: Who qualifies for Europe if Man Utd DON’T win the FA Cup?
Champions League: Arsenal, Man City, Liverpool, Aston Villa
Europa League: Tottenham, Man Utd (City’s Europa League spot passed on to Man Utd as highest-ranked team not to qualify for Europe another way)
UEFA Conference League: Newcastle
Is there still a possibility that Man Utd will not qualify for the Europa League?
As above, Man Utd will take this second Europa League spot by winning the FA Cup or, if they lose it, finishing in their current position of sixth.
Newcastle, however, are just a point behind Man Utd in the table with four games to play – with the two teams scheduled to meet in the final midweek of the campaign on May 15.
So it’s still very much possible for Newcastle to qualify for the Europa League at Manchester United’s expense first by finishing above them in the league and then through City winning the FA Cup.
Chelsea are also in the frame to fight for seventh, trailing sixth-placed Man Utd by three points and Newcastle by two points ahead of the final four games of the season.
Man Utd’s remaining fixtures
May 6: Crystal Palace (A) – Premier League, kick-off 8pm, live on Sky Sports
May 12: Arsenal (H) – Premier League, kick-off 4.30pm, live on Sky Sports
May 15: Newcastle (H) – Premier League, kick-off 8pm, live on Sky Sports
May 19: Brighton (A) – Premier League, kick-off 4pm
May 25: Man City (N) – FA Cup final, kick-off 3pm
Newcastle’s remaining fixtures
May 4: Burnley (A) – Premier League, kick-off 3pm
May 11: Brighton (H) – Premier League, kick-off 3pm
May 15: Man Utd (A) – Premier League, kick-off 8pm, live on Sky Sports
May 19: Brentford (A) – Premier League, kick-off 4pm
Chelsea’s remaining fixtures
May 5: West Ham (H) – Premier League, kick-off 2pm
May 11: Nottingham Forest (A) – Premier League, kick-off 5.30pm, live on Sky Sports
May 15: Brighton (A) – Premier League, kick-off 7.45pm
May 19: Bournemouth (H) – Premier League, kick-off 4pm
What if Aston Villa win the Europa Conference League?
Aston Villa are into the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League
There would have been a bonus Europa League spot available if Aston Villa were to win the Europa Conference League and failed to finish in the Champions League or Europa League qualifying places. However, Villa have guaranteed a top-five finish and a place in the Europa League as a minimum.
That bonus Europa League qualifying spot would not be passed on to another Premier League team. So Villa’s success or failure in the Europa Conference League will not have an impact on European spots for Premier League sides next season.
UEFA Conference League – one place
Newcastle are in line for a UEFA Conference League place
There is one place available to Premier League sides for the UEFA Conference League – note the subtle name change – next season.
Qualification for this tournament is given to the winners of the Carabao Cup. However, because Liverpool are on course for a Champions League spot, this qualifying place will be passed down to the next highest-ranked team which hasn’t qualified for Europe.
As above, this would currently be Manchester United, who sit sixth in the Premier League. However, they may win the FA Cup and qualify for the Europa League. Or they may lose to Manchester City, who are on course to finish in the top four, and the Europa League spot will be awarded to United if they finish in sixth place.
In that case, the UEFA Conference League place would go down to seventh, which is currently occupied by Newcastle.
How does the new Champions League format work?
Next season’s Scottish Premiership winner will face one qualification round to enter the Champions League, with three qualifiers facing the runners-up
Taking the total number of teams from 32 to 36 in the Champions League, the biggest change will see a transformation from the traditional group stage to a single league phase including all participating teams.
Every club will now be guaranteed a minimum of eight league-stage games against eight different opponents (four home games, four away) rather than the previous six matches against three teams, played on a home-and-away basis.
The top eight sides in the league will qualify automatically for the knockout stage, while the teams finishing in ninth to 24th place will compete in a two-legged play-off to secure their path to the last 16 of the competition.
Teams ranked 25-36 are eliminated from all competitions.
Europa League and Europa Conference League changing too?
Similar changes will be made to the Europa League and Europa Conference League formats, with 36 teams in each.
Teams in the Europa League will have eight matches against eight different opponents in the league phase.
In the Europa Conference League – renamed the UEFA Conference League – teams will have six matches against six different opponents in the league phase. The UEFA Conference League games will be played between September and December.
The knockout phase of the competitions will take place through the second half of the season and culminate at the end of the campaign, as they do now.
