Aston Villa can take a step closer to securing a sixth Champions League place in the Premier League by winning the Europa League on Wednesday night.
Brighton, currently sixth and seventh, will be desperate for Unai Emery’s side to beat Freiburg and win a major European trophy for the first time since 1982.
The Premier League has secured its fifth Champions League place through UEFA’s European Performance Spot this season, but this has been extended to a sixth, replacing one of the two Europa League slots. But only if Aston Villa win on Wednesday and take fifth place.
Should Aston Villa lose to Freiburg or finish in the top four, only the top five in the Premier League will qualify for the Champions League and Liverpool are almost guaranteed fifth place as they remain three points ahead of Bournemouth with a superior goal difference going into the final day of the season.
European standings as is (if Villa finish 4th and beat/lose EL)
- Arsenal – Champions League
- Man City – Champions League
- Manchester United – Champions League
- Aston Villa – Champions League
- Liverpool – Champions League
- Bournemouth – Europa League
- Brighton – Europa League
- Chelsea – conference league
If Aston Villa beat EL and finish fifth, they will qualify for Europe.
- Arsenal – Champions League
- Man City – Champions League
- Manchester United – Champions League
- Liverpool – Champions League
- Aston Villa – Champions League
- Bournemouth – Champions League
- Brighton – Europa League
- Chelsea – conference league
The Premier League will also see nine teams play in Europe next season, with Crystal Palace qualifying for the Europa League if they win the conference league.
Premier League final day permutations
aston villa If you lose, you will drop to 5th place. manchester city and Liverpool win brentford.
Bournemouth If they win they will take 5th place Nottingham Forest Overturned the 6-goal difference swing. Liverpool losing to brentford. Bournemouth need a point to secure sixth place.
brighton If they win, they will finish in 6th place. man utd and Bournemouth lose to Nottingham Forest.
chelsea You can only finish the seventh. They can achieve this through improvement. Brighton’s result.
brentford If they win they will finish in 7th place Liverpool and chelsea and brighton Not winning.
sunderland If they win they will finish in 7th place chelsea, brighton under brentford Don’t win.
sunderland play chelsea What it means is Newcastle, everton and fulham They only had 52 points, not enough for 8th place and were therefore excluded from the race for Europe.
