English top-flight race for Champions League participation down to the wire on final weekend
Five Premier League teams are vying for the three remaining Champions League spots.
The race for Premier League glory was a one-sided affair. Liverpool left all its challengers scrambling for scraps after cantering to overall league victory — but the race for the European Champions League rages on.
There is just one more game week remaining in what has been an interesting season. Dethroned champions Manchester City, as well as Newcastle United, Chelsea, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest, are vying for the three remaining Champions League qualification spots.
Liverpool and perennial underachievers Arsenal have already sealed their spots in next season's edition of Europe's premier club competition.
Tottenham Hotspur are also in next season's Champions League by virtue of beating Manchester United 1-0 in the Europa League final on Wednesday night.
Traditionally, only four English teams qualify for the flagship competition of European soccer. However, due to England securing a 'European Performance Spot' based on their Union of European Football Associations coefficient ranking this season, the Premier League will have five direct qualification spots for next season's Champions League.
For various reasons, all five teams still in with a chance will be desperate to qualify for the continental showpiece. This includes earning a share of the £2.06-billion (about R48-billion) total prize money for all participating teams.
The contenders
It's been a season to forget for Pep Guardiola and his men. On the back of a record-setting fourth Premier League title in a row, no one could have predicted that City would find itself in such a position. But the Manchester side's horrible title defence, which saw them suffer a significant slump between November and December in particular, has thrown them into this situation.
A nine-match unbeaten run has seen City somewhat salvage their season and take control of their own destiny in the race for Champions League qualification. In November and December last year, City played 10 matches. They lost six of those, winning twice and drawing just as many times.
They face Fulham in their final match, against whom a win or draw would secure City elite Europe soccer next season. After the season the club has had, finishing third would be a great consolation prize.
'I have been in the Champions League in the past 15 years or so… I don't remember. If we are not, then we don't deserve it. We'll play in the Europa League; it is what it is,' Guardiola said.
Then there is Newcastle United, on 66 points and trailing City by just two points. For them as well, the equation is simple: win against Everton and qualify for the Champions League.
The Saudis who own the majority stake of the club would be elated with a return to Europe after missing out last season. Success against Everton would seal this triumph, in a season in which they also won the Carabao Cup.
Not far behind Newcastle is Chelsea — also on 66 points (but trailing on goal difference). The two-time European champions have struggled for consistency this season. An unbeaten run of nine matches a quarter of the way into the season had the London side being touted as a title challenger — a notion the club's head coach Enzo Maresca dismissed.
'It's not about how many games we win. It's about being realistic,' said Marseca in December. 'There are things we have to do better. That's why I say we are not ready (to challenge for the league).'
Regardless, a return to the Champions League for the first time since 2023 would be most welcome for Maresca and his youthful squad as they continue to grow. The fifth-placed Blues face Nottingham Forest, a direct rival in the scramble for Champions League participation.
Both sides know that a win for either of them would secure their place in the European club showpiece. A draw would leave them hoping that sixth-placed Aston Villa do not get a positive result versus Manchester United. All the Premier Leagues final matches will be played on Sunday, 25 May. Kick-off is 5pm. DM
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