Liverpool has officially won the Premier League title, though we had to wait a while for mathematical confirmation. The relegation places have also been decided, with Southampton, Leicester City, and Ipswich Town all returning to the Championship. However, the top flight of English soccer still has European qualifying spots available.
Premier League standings
TEAM
RECORD (last five games)
POINTS
Liverpool
W-L-W-W-W
82
Arsenal
W-D-D-W-D
67
Newcastle
W-W-W-L-W
62
Man City
W-D-W-W-W
61
Chelsea
W-D-D-W-W
60
Nottingham Forest
W-W-L-L-W
60
Aston Villa
W-W-W-W-L
57
Fulham
L-W-L-L-W
51
Brighton
L-L-D-L-W
51
Bournemouth
L-D-W-D-D
50
Brentford
W-L-D-D-W
46
Crystal Palace
W-L-L-D-D
45
Wolves
W-W-W-W-W
41
Man United
L-D-L-L-D
39
Everton
L-D-W-L-L
38
Tottenham
L-W-L-L-L
37
West Ham
L-D-L-D-L
36
Ipswich Town
W-L-D-L-L
21
Leicester City
L-L-D-L-L
18
Southampton
D-L-L-D-L
11
Can Nottingham Forest still qualify for the Champions League?
Of course, Liverpool has already qualified for next season’s Champions League. Arsenal, Newcastle United, Manchester City, and Chelsea currently occupy the remaining top five positions. However, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa are both in with a chance of qualifying for the Champions League.
It would be a shame for Forest to miss out on a top-five spot, especially given that they were once thought to be title contenders. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side has been the surprise of the Premier League season.
However, they could end the campaign on a low note. Forest have a game in hand this week against Brentford, and if they win, they will move up to third place in the division.
If Forest wins or draws on Thursday, Chelsea will fall out of the top five. Enzo Maresca’s team is unbeaten in its last five games, winning three and drawing two. The Blues could be hitting form at the perfect time. They face Forest on the final day of the season, which could be a shootout for a Champions League spot.
Will Aston Villa be in European soccer’s premier competition again?
Villa also has a chance to compete in the Champions League again next season. However, Unai Emery’s side will face difficulties as on-loan Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford is expected to miss the rest of the season due to a hamstring injury. If Villa do not finish in the top five, they will have fewer chances of signing Rashford permanently.
Fortunately, Villa has a powerful attack. With Rashford’s injury, Ollie Watkins will be able to return to the team. Watkins will be looking to prove himself after recently playing second fiddle to Rashford. Villa had a successful Champions League season, reaching the quarter-finals before losing to one of the favourites, Paris Saint-Germain.
Arsenal have all but qualified for the Champions League
Arsenal will almost certainly mathematically qualify for the Champions League. It’s disappointing that Mikel Arteta’s team hasn’t been able to challenge Liverpool for the title this season. However, with Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz injured, the Gunners’ inability to sign a striker in January made things even more difficult.
Arsenal are still in the Champions League and will face PSG tonight. The French team has already eliminated Liverpool and Villa, so the Gunners know what they are up against. The Gunners performed admirably in defeating Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, and their match against PSG promises to be a classic.
United and Tottenham can also still qualify for the Champions League
Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are ranked 14th and 16th in the Premier League. They could, however, still qualify for the Champions League through the back door by winning the Europa League.
Both teams are in opposite semi-finals of the competition, with United facing Athletic Bilbao and Tottenham facing Bodø/Glimt. As a result, they could face off in the final at Bilbao’s San Mamés Stadium, where they will compete not only for the title, but also for a spot in the Champions League the following season.
Who will be in the Europa League and the Europa Conference League?
Forest is currently in sixth place, which will earn them a spot in the Europa League. This would still be a notable achievement for a team that many predicted would be relegated at the start of the season.
The other Europa League spot goes to the FA Cup winner — Crystal Palace will face Manchester City in the final. City are currently in the Premier League’s top five, but if they qualify for the Champions League, the Europa League spot will go to another English club that has yet to secure a place in Europe.
Newcastle has secured a place in the Europa Conference League after winning the EFL Cup, but they can still qualify for the Champions League. As a result, the Conference League spot would go to the highest-placed Premier League team that has not yet qualified for European competition.
