Three matchdays remain in the championship and some calculations still need to be made. Aston Villa is at the center of the equation and, for both teams, losing could guarantee Champions League qualification.
With three rounds remaining in the Premier League, the race for European places is heating up and even includes some unusual scenarios. At this stage, six teams could secure direct access to the Champions League, a competition for which Arsenal, Man City and Man United have already qualified. Liverpool (4th) and Aston Villa (5th) are being chased by Bournemouth, Brentford and Brighton.
If Aston Villa finish in fifth place and win the Europa League, then the sixth=placed team qualifies for the Champions League. However, if Villa finishes in the top four, winning the Europa League will make no difference, so the sixth-placed team qualifies for the Europa League.
At the moment, Liverpool (4th) and Aston Villa (5th) have 58 points, but goal difference favors the Reds .
Bournemouth (6th) is six points behind this duo and holds a one=point lead over Brentford and a two=point lead over Brighton. Also in the race for sixth place are Chelsea, Everton and Fulham = a trio with 48 points = Sunderland (12th), with 47 points, and Newcastle, with 45 points.
Losing to qualify for the Champions League?
It’s a remote but real scenario. In the final round, Brighton hosts Man United, while Brentford visits Liverpool. If these teams are confident they will finish in sixth place, then they could lose and prevent Aston Villa from reaching the top four.
The Premier League could have 10 teams in Europe.
If Man City wins the Cup, or Chelsea (9th) finishes the league in the top seven, then seventh place will grant access to the Europa League and eighth place guarantees a ticket to the Conference League.
Furthermore, the number of English clubs in UEFA competitions could reach ten, should Nottingham (16th) win the Europa League and Crystal Palace (15th) lift the Conference League trophy.
