The Premier League will have at least five teams in next season’s Champions League after securing an additional European Performance Spot (EPS) when Arsenal defeated Sporting 1-0 in the first leg of their quarter-final tie on Tuesday, thereby improving the English top-flight’s UEFA coefficient. It’s the second straight year that the Premier League has earned an additional spot, with Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, and Newcastle United all taking part in this year’s tournament, and Tottenham also qualified as a sixth team, following their Europa League triumph.
While Arsenal and Manchester City are playing cat and mouse for this year’s Premier League championship, the race for the three other spots remains wide open. At the time of writing, Manchester United, Aston Villa, and Liverpool are third, fourth, and fifth in the English top-flight standings, with Chelsea, Brentford, and Everton close by.
Without further ado, SBOTOP examines the Premier League’s Champions League landscape.
Manchester United and Aston Villa are in prime position
Manchester United rose to third place after Michael Carrick had led the Red Devils to a positive stretch of Premier League 2026 results since replacing Ruben Amorim at the helm. But following their 2-1 loss against Leeds United at home last night, they’re back level with Aston Villa, whom they leapfrogged in the standings a few weeks ago to be the third seed.
The Red Devils showed rust against the Whites after a 23-day hiatus, and what made matters worse is that their defensive depth took a hit, as Lisandro Martinez received a red card and will serve his suspension. However, Manchester United still control their fate in the Champions League race, and they must get their act together fast.
Aston Villa recently snapped their losing streak with a 2-0 win against West Ham United and a 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest last weekend. Unai Emery’s men are also deep into the Europa League knockouts, and the said European tournament is their back-up plan if they somehow fail to nail a Top 5 berth this season.
Assuming things continue to go according to plan, Manchester United and Aston Villa are expected to make it back to the Champions League next term, per the Premier League 2026 odds.
Liverpool are trying to hold on
At this point, Liverpool’s title defence is over, so they’re left fighting for scraps. Given the way this season has unfolded, the Reds’ best-case scenario is securing one of the Champions League places for next term, and they’re currently fifth in the standings with 52 points – three points adrift of Aston Villa and Manchester United. Liverpool are also through to the Champions League quarter-finals, but fell two goals behind against defending champions PSG, who beat them 2-0 in the opening leg in Paris last Wednesday.
Arne Slot’s men finally returned to winning ways with a 2-0 win against Fulham last Saturday night at Anfield, as Rio Ngumoha and Mohamed Salah scored two goals between the 36th and 40th minutes. They have a difficult schedule ahead, as five of their next six league opponents are also fighting for Champions League berths (except Crystal Palace).
Liverpool face the unenviable task of staying alive on two fronts, given their absentee list, as Alisson Becker, Wataru Endo, Giovanni Leoni, and Conor Bradley remain in the team’s medical room. Overall, the Reds will do everything in their power to give Mohamed Salah a fitting farewell, as the Egyptian star will leave Anfield as a free agent this summer.
Chelsea, Brentford, and Everton will attempt to make a run
Chelsea, Brentford, and Everton are the distant challengers for the final Top 5 slot, and they’re only separated by a point. Among them, the Blues have the worst recent form, notching four losses in their last five league games, while Brentford and Everton are doing much better.
The Blues are on a three-game losing streak in the Premier League, though they’re through the FA Cup semi-finals, following their 7-0 bashing of Port Vale last weekend. They’ll be up against Manchester United on Saturday night, where they’ll have Enzo Fernandez back in midfield after the Argentine served his two-match ban imposed by the team.
Brentford are undefeated in their last five league games, but four of them have been draws, including their 2-2 stalemate against Everton last time out. The Bees’ standout performer this season has been Igor Thiago, who already has 21 league goals, one goal adrift from Golden Boot frontrunner, Erling Haaland.
Everton have won three, drawn one, and lost one in their last five games. The Toffees are also facing pressure from Brighton, Sunderland, Bournemouth, and Fulham.
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