With the champions and relegated teams all but confirmed in the Premier League, the race for a Champions League spot is now the main talking point. Due to the great success from English clubs in recent years, there are now five teams able to qualify for Europe’s most prestigious competition through the English top-flight.
Here we analyse the race for a Champions League spot, and have our say on who we think we feature in the competition next term!
⚽ Teams in contention
Although mathematically several more teams could qualify, there are seven teams realistically in contention for a top five place in the Premier League this season. With Liverpool and Arsenal looking like they will almost certainly qualify, this leaves five other teams to battle it out for the remaining three spots.
Nottingham Forest currently sit third in the league standings, but have seen their form somewhat dip in recent times. Nuno Espirito Santos’ side find themselves in the semi-finals of the FA Cup, so it is important to note that they will have one eye on that.
The side that currently sit in fourth place are Manchester City, who have had a below par season by their usual standards. However, City are still in a strong position to salvage their campaign by retaining a Champions League spot ahead of next term.
Chelsea are the side who sit fifth, and this is largely down to the red hot form of star man Cole Palmer. The Blues will need their English superstar to be in fine form for the remainder of the campaign if they want to be playing in the Champions League next term.
Newcastle United have had a strong campaign thus far, having already picked up silverware in the Carabao Cup. Eddie Howe’s side will top off an excellent campaign if they can climb the table and slip into the top five late on.
The final team we believe are in contention is Aston Villa, who are currently in the quarter-finals of the Champions League and the semi-finals of the FA Cup. With the loan signings of Marcus Rashford and Marcus Asensio starting to pick up form, this could be the difference if they do climb into a Champions League spot.
⚽ Key fixtures
With just six gameweeks left in the Premier League, the race is really heating up as some of the top sides in the country battle it out for a Champions League spot next term.
Aston Villa v Newcastle United, Saturday 19th April
The first big game on our list is when Newcastle make the trip to Villa Park to face Aston Villa. This is a game that both sides know they will need to pick up maximum points from as they are both battling it out for a place in Europe’s most valuable competition.
Manchester City v Aston Villa, Tuesday 22th April
Aston Villa have another tough fixture just four days later, when they travel to Manchester to face a somewhat unpredictable Manchester City. This is another game that Unai Emery will know that if he wants to keep his hopes of Champions League football next term alive, then they will have to win.
Newcastle United v Chelsea, Saturday 10th May
With both sides just two points apart, it is obvious that a loss for either outfit could be detrimental in their hopes of a top five spot. This is set up to be a real spectacle for the neutral, with so much to play for.
Nottingham Forest v Chelsea, Sunday 25th May
Forest have had a stellar 2024/25 campaign, and it would be topped off perfectly with Champions League qualification ahead of next term. However, they face Chelsea on the final day of the season, which could be a decider for who gets a place in the top five.
⚽ Our say
We predict that the race for Champions League qualification will go down to the wire, with some of the games on the final day having a huge say. There are just four points separating 3rd and 7th place in the league standings, so when those sides match up against each other in the final stretch, the pressure will be on.
Despite losing their last two games in the league, we predict that Forest will return to their previous form and secure Champions League football next term for the first time since the 1980-81 campaign.
We believe that the first of the two sides to miss out on a top five spot will be Aston Villa. Emery’s side are still in the Champions League and have an important FA Cup semi-final. Therefore, even if they do miss out on a top five spot, the Villa faithful could have plenty to cheer about come the end of the season. The next side we feel will miss out on Champions League football next term will be Chelsea. The Blues face the tough task of Liverpool and Newcastle away in two of their final three games. Which leads us to believe that they will fall just short of the task in hand.
To find our competitive odds on all the remaining Premier League fixtures, click here.
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