Five Teams, Three Spots: How Will the Champions League Race End?

 

Firstsitenews-The race for Champions League qualification is going down to the wire, with five Premier League teams vying for the remaining three spots on the final day of the season.

Arsenal’s 1-0 victory over Newcastle on Sunday sealed their place in next season’s Champions League, joining already-crowned champions Liverpool. That leaves five teams fighting for the final three qualification places.

Currently, Newcastle, Chelsea, and Aston Villa are all level on 66 points, while Manchester City and Nottingham Forest sit just behind on 65 points.

This season, the Premier League has been awarded five Champions League slots—one more than usual—thanks to the strong performances of English teams in European competitions.

Sixth-placed Manchester City hold a key advantage with a game in hand at home to Bournemouth on Tuesday. A win would put them firmly in control heading into their final-day clash at Fulham.

Newcastle can secure their spot with a home win against Everton on Sunday (16:00 BST), while Chelsea also have their fate in their own hands—they must beat Nottingham Forest, who kept their own European hopes alive with a 2-1 win over West Ham.

Forest, sitting just one point behind the top five, must beat Chelsea and hope one of the teams above them slips up to sneak into the top five.

Aston Villa, meanwhile, face a tougher challenge. They’ll need to win away at Manchester United and rely on other results going their way.

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There’s another twist: the Europa League final on Wednesday between Manchester United and Tottenham will also produce a Champions League qualifier. The winner will earn a spot in next season’s competition, potentially making it six English teams in the tournament. However, this won’t affect the Premier League standings or the current race for top-five qualification.

Whoever loses that final—given both clubs are currently outside the top five—will miss out on European football altogether next season.

And while Chelsea could still influence who qualifies for other European competitions based on their own European final and league results, that’s a discussion for another day.

Here’s how the battle for Europe stands heading into the final week.