Only two rounds of Premier League matches remain as the clubs try to secure their places in next season’s European competitions.
Monday’s news that Uefa’s two-year ban on Manchester City had been revoked by the Court of Arbitration for Sport left its rivals struggling, knowing that a fifth place finish will no longer be good enough to secure Champions League football. .
City will finish second this season, so together with champions Liverpool they have guaranteed their place in next season’s Champions League.
But who else can qualify and which teams will fight for the places in the Europa League?
Champions League qualifying race
Photo: REUTERS
Chelsea, Leicester City and Manchester United are the favorites, with Chelsea (currently in third place) they need four points to secure their place, but face tough encounters against Wolves and Liverpool in their remaining two games.
Brendan Rodgers Leicester He recorded a 2-0 win over Sheffield United on Thursday to stay ahead of Manchester United, and he must win his remaining two games to be sure of qualification.
They face United on the last day, and play away at Tottenham before that, but that meeting with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team is likely to decide his fate.
Manchester united They are in the same situation and face West Ham before they face the Foxes who won at Crystal Palace on Thursday.
Chelsea, Leicester and Manchester United are guaranteed to secure at least Europa League football.
Wolves Hopes dropped dramatically after points controversially fell against Burnley. They must beat Crystal Palace and Chelsea and wait for other results to follow. However, they can qualify by winning the Europa League, a route also available to Manchester United.
Tottenham and Sheffield United they are now mathematically out of the question for a place in the Champions League.
But we could still face the situation in which only the first three qualify. If two English teams win the Champions League and Europe this season, and end up outside the top four, they will qualify instead.
We could still have a tiebreaker too!
If Leicester City and Manchester United finish fourth and fifth, leveled on points, goal difference and goals scored, then it boils down to a head-to-head record (factoring away goals). United won 1-0 at Old Trafford in September. And if Leicester repeated that result with a 1-0 victory on the last day, then they would need a tiebreaker to decide who finishes fourth. Imagine that!
Europa League qualifying race
Photo: AFP via Getty Images
Arsenal They kept their hopes of qualifying through the League alive with their surprising victory over Liverpool, but they remain the outsiders despite the final encounters against Aston Villa and Watford. But they can still reserve their place in the Europa League by winning the FA Cup.
However, they are not the only team that can benefit from the FA Cup. If the eventual winners finish within the top six, then seventh place will qualify for the Europa League. Man City, Chelsea and Manchester United are the other four teams left in the competition.
Wolves He needed three wins out of three to secure his place, but he drew against Burnley on Wednesday. But if seventh place qualifies, then two wins in their final games will suffice.
TottenhamNewcastle’s victory kept them in contention, but they must beat Leicester City and Crystal Palace and expect the Wolves to lose more points.
After his loss to Leicester, Sheffield United They need Wovles or Tottenham to drop points in order to qualify for the Europa League for the first time.
Burnley They are outsiders. Their point against Wolves means they must win their remaining two games and expect LOTS of other results.
At least one from Chelsea, Leicester or Manchester United will be in the Europa League, of course.
And this is where it gets (more) complicated …
If Chelsea reverse their 3-0 first-leg deficit against Bayern Munich and win the Champions League, and finish out of the top four, then five English teams will compete in Europe’s top competition, with the sixth and seventh entering in the Europa League.
With City already qualified, winning the completion will not affect the Premier League.
But what about the Europa League? If Manchester United or Wolves win the Europa League but finish within the top four, only four teams will compete in the Champions League, but if they finish outside the top four, five teams will enter.
And if Chelsea win the Champions League AND Manchester United or the Wolves win the Europa League, and neither ends in the top four, then only the top three will qualify for the Champions League.
To further complicate matters, UEFA regulations suggest that the Premier League could have eight teams in Europe if that happened and one of them did not finish in the top six or seven, or nine if they both failed.
There you have it, simple actually …
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