Three rounds of Premier League matches remain as the clubs try and secure their spots in next season’s European competitions.
Monday’s news that the Court of Arbitration for Sport had overturned the two-season ban handed out to Manchester City by Uefa has left their rivals scrambling, knowing that a fifth-place finish will no longer be good enough to secure Champions League football.
City will finish second this season, so they along with champions Liverpool have guaranteed their place in next season’s Champions League.
But who else can qualify, and which teams will be fighting for the Europa League places?
Champions League qualification
Seven sides can mathematically still qualify, though Arsenal are all but out of the running with the Gunners needing to win all three of their remaining games and hope for a mammoth goal difference swing.
Chelsea, Leicester City and Manchester United are the front runners, with Chelsea (currently in third) needing four points to secure their place, but they face tricky fixtures against Wolves and Liverpool in their remaining two games.
Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester have three matches remaining, and need to win all three to be sure of qualification.
They have only once since the restart, and face tough fixtures against Tottenham, Sheffield United and Manchester United – with that final day meeting with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side likely to decide their fate.
Manchester United are in the same situation but have more favourable fixtures against Crystal Palace and West Ham before they meet the Foxes.
Wolves can also still get there, but they must beat Burnley, Crystal Palace and Chelsea and hope other results go their way.
It’s the same situation for Sheffield United as well, with the Blades facing Leicester, Everton and Southampton in their final games.
Tottenham’s chances are by far the slimmest. Spurs are seven points off the top four and need to win all their games (Newcastle, Leicester, Crystal Palace) to stand any chance, but would require other results to go their way.
We could still have a play-off as well!
If Leicester City and Manchester United finish in fourth and fifth, level on points, goal difference and goals scored, then it goes down to head-to-head record (factoring in away goals). United won 1-0 at Old Trafford in September. And if Leicester replicated that result with a win 1-0 on the final day then they would need a play-off to decide who finishes fourth. Imagine that!
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| 3 | Chelsea | 36 | 19 | 6 | 11 | 15 | 63 |
| 4 | Leicester City | 35 | 17 | 8 | 10 | 29 | 59 |
| 5 | Man Utd | 35 | 16 | 11 | 8 | 26 | 59 |
| 6 | Wolves | 35 | 14 | 13 | 8 | 11 | 55 |
| 7 | Sheffield Utd | 35 | 14 | 12 | 9 | 5 | 54 |
| 8 | Tottenham | 35 | 14 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 52 |
Europa League qualification
Arsenal, as far as the League is concerned, will be hard pushed with fixtures against Liverpool, Aston Villa and Watford, but they can book their place in the Europa League by winning the FA Cup.
But they are not the only side who can benefit from the FA Cup. Should the eventual winners finish inside the top six, then seventh place will qualify for the Europa League. Man City, Chelsea and Manchester United are the other four sides left in the competition.
Wolves need three wins from three to secure their place, but if seventh place does qualify, then two wins and a draw would be enough.
If Wolves slip up, then Sheffield United can finish in the top six with three wins. Three wins will guarantee seventh for the Blades.
As with the Champions League, Tottenham really need to win all their games as they look to close a three-point gap on Wolves, or a two-point gap on Sheffield United if seventh place qualifies for the aforementioned reasons.
Burnley are the outsiders, but if they win their remaining three games and other results go their way, they could sneak in
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| 3 | Chelsea | 36 | 19 | 6 | 11 | 15 | 63 |
| 4 | Leicester City | 35 | 17 | 8 | 10 | 29 | 59 |
| 5 | Man Utd | 35 | 16 | 11 | 8 | 26 | 59 |
| 6 | Wolves | 35 | 14 | 13 | 8 | 11 | 55 |
| 7 | Sheffield Utd | 35 | 14 | 12 | 9 | 5 | 54 |
| 8 | Tottenham | 35 | 14 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 52 |
| 9 | Arsenal | 35 | 12 | 14 | 9 | 7 | 50 |
| 10 | Burnley | 35 | 14 | 8 | 13 | -8 | 50 |
And here’s where it gets (more) complicated…
If Chelsea overturn their 3-0 first leg deficit to Bayern Munich and go on to win the Champions League, and finish outside the top four, then five English sides will compete in Europe’s premier competition, with sixth and seventh entering the Europa League.
With City having already qualified, winning the completion won’t impact the Premier League.
But what about the Europa League? Should Manchester United or Wolves win the Europa League but finish inside the top four then only four sides will compete in the Champions League, but should they finish outside the top four five teams will enter.
And should Chelsea win the Champions League AND Manchester United or Wolves win the Europa League - and neither finish in the top four - then only the top three will qualify for the Champions League.
To complicate things even further, Uefa regulations suggest the Premier League could have eight teams in Europe if that happened and one of them did not finish in the top six or seven - or nine if they both fail to.
There you have it, simple really…
