After several English teams crashed out of Europe, the Premier League lost a coefficient ranking place, which means only four teams will qualify for this year’s Champions League. Previously, it had looked like five would make the cut.
It means the race for Champions League football is all-but sewn up. Tottenham are highly unlikely to claw back the seven-point gap between them and Aston Villa. However, the rush for Europa League competition is wide open.
Below, we analyse the teams best placed to qualify, who is most likely to make it, and why it matters so much.
Current Standings:
Arsenal, Manchester City, and Liverpool are all assured of Champions League football. The rest of the teams in with a shot of European football next season are as follows:
- 4th: Aston Villa – 67 points
- 5th: Tottenham Hotspur – 60 points
- 6th: Newcastle United – 56 points
- 7th: Chelsea – 54 points
- 8th: Manchester United – 54 points
- 9th West Ham United – 49 points
As we mentioned above, the Villains are all but in the Champions League spots. They would have to lose both their remaining games, while Tottenham would have to win their remaining three.
The Europa League race is much more exciting.
Race for Champions League Spots:
While it was exhilarating for a while, it ended in a straight shootout between Aston Villa and Tottenham, and the former just sped away down the home straight.
The race is over–not much to see here!
Fight for Europa League Places:
This is much more intriguing, with five teams theoretically vying for two spots.
Tottenham should have done enough to get into fifth place, and even a couple of slip-ups in the run-in is unlikely to cost them a spot.
It means it’s a three-way dog-fight between the season’s three most underwhelming sides for the remaining spot in Europe’s second-tier competition.
The momentum is with Newcastle. They have won four of their previous five games and scored nine goals in their last two (5-1 vs Sheffield United and 4-1 vs Burnley).
If the Magpies hold onto sixth, both Manchester United and Chelsea would then be at loggerheads for the Europa Conference League, a third-tier competition in the continent. While it would be somewhat humiliating for these two recent giants of the Premier League, it would bring in revenue and offer a chance for both teams to get their hands on a trophy next year.
Dark Horses and Outsiders:
In theory, West Ham still have an outside chance of making the Conference League, but they need a lot to go their way.
They recently announced that manager David Moyes would be departing his role at the end of the campaign. It might be tough for the Scot to galvanise his troops and lead them into a fourth consecutive European campaign.
While it’s still theoretically possible for either of the south coast sides Brighton and Bournemouth to make the Conference League, it would take a highly unusual set of results between now and the end of the season.
Remaining Fixtures and Key Matchups:
A lot is likely to depend on Manchester United vs Newcastle United, which takes place from 20:00 (UK time) at Old Trafford on Wednesday 15th May. A win for either team will go a long way in securing Europa League football next season.
You would have to go back to 2013 to see the last time the Magpies beat Manchester United at Old Trafford–back then, it required a goal from Geordie legend Yohan Cabaye.
They might never get a better chance to end that dismal run, though. The Red Devils are melting away at the end of the season.
Here are the remaining fixtures of all the teams left in a battle for Europe:
- Tottenham Hotspur: Burnley (h), Manchester City (h), Sheffield United (a)
- Newcastle United: Brighton (h), Manchester United (a), Brentford (a)
- Chelsea: Nottingham Forest (a), Brighton (a)
- Manchester United: Arsenal (h), Newcastle United (h), Brighton (a)
- West Ham: Luton (h), Manchester City (a)
Fan Engagement – Excitement Among Supporters
Every game matters and in such high-stakes situations, having a supportive crowd can make all the difference. Some grounds have more vocal support than others, while some supporters are more disillusioned than others. But make no mistake, the impact an atmosphere can have on a team can be immense.
With it being the final push of the Premier League campaign, expect some tense atmospheres to close out the season.
Socios.com Partnership with European Contenders
Socios.com, a blockchain-based fan engagement platform, has formed partnerships with several Premier League clubs competing for European qualification. These include Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur, and West Ham United, and we’re hoping they can all get over the line.
Socios.com allows club fans to interact and engage with their teams through various means such as polls, surveys, and token-based rewards. These interactions not only help clubs understand their fans better but also give them a voice in decision-making processes.
