 "Manchester City have endured an underwhelming season so far in the Premier League. Image: AP")
The 2024-25 season of the English Premier League is coming to an end this Sunday with only one game left for each side. While the title and relegation are already decided, the race for the top five is still alive and it is going down to the wire. Five English clubs will qualify for the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League instead of the usual four.
The Premier League earned one extra place this year thanks to the strong performance of English clubs in European tournaments. That means five teams from the league table will go to the UCL. Liverpool and Arsenal have already qualified, and three places are still up for grabs.
Also, Tottenham Hotspur have secured a UCL spot by winning the UEFA Europa League on 22 May. So six English teams can play UCL next season.
Who is still fighting for UCL spots?
Five teams are currently in the race for the remaining three spots in the Champions League from England. Manchester City, Newcastle United, Chelsea, Aston Villa, and Nottingham Forest are the teams still alive. These teams are separated by just three points in the battle for the remaining UCL places.
What each team needs to qualify?
Manchester City: Just 1 point will confirm UCL spot for them. Even if they lose, they will likely still make it due to a much better goal difference than Villa.
Newcastle United: A win will help them secure a UCL place. A draw will also do if Chelsea and Villa don’t win. If they lose and still want to qualify, then Villa must also go down.
Chelsea: A win will make UCL qualification very likely. A draw will leave them depending on other results. If they lose, their only hope is that both Villa and Newcastle also lose.
Aston Villa: They need a win and for at least one of Chelsea, Newcastle, or Manchester City to drop points. A draw or loss would leave them with only a slim chance or eliminate them entirely.
Nottingham Forest: Must win and hope other results go their way to have any chance of UCL qualification. They especially need Chelsea to drop points.
Remaining fixtures
Fulham vs. Manchester City
Wolves vs. Brentford
Nottingham Forest vs. Chelsea
Manchester United vs. Aston Villa
Newcastle vs. Everton
Tottenham vs. Brighton
Southampton vs. Arsenal
Liverpool vs. Crystal Palace
Ipswich vs. West Ham
Bournemouth vs. Leicester