The Premier League title race is not the only fight going on this week. Below the top four, nine clubs are still chasing European football with one matchday left, and the permutations are complicated enough to give any fan a headache.
Four spots remain open across three UEFA competitions. Every team from fifth to thirteenth on the table still has something to play for, though realistically it comes down to about six serious contenders scrapping for those places.
Who Has Already Qualified and What Is Still Available
Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and Aston Villa have all secured Champions League football for next season. That much is settled.
Liverpool sit fifth on 59 points and are favourites to claim the remaining Champions League place, but it is not guaranteed yet. They need a win at home to Brentford on the final day to lock it in. Bournemouth are four points behind in sixth and still hold a mathematical chance of overtaking them, especially with a game against Manchester City still to come.
There is an extra twist in all of this. If Aston Villa win the Europa League final against Freiburg on Wednesday and also finish fifth in the league, England earns a sixth Champions League spot. That would push sixth place into Champions League territory, seventh into the Europa League, and eighth into the Conference League — shifting the value of every position below Liverpool.
The Clubs Still in Contention and Where They Stand
Bournemouth on 55 points, Brighton on 53 and Brentford on 52 are the three clubs best placed to secure the remaining European spots behind Liverpool. Below them, Sunderland, Chelsea, Newcastle and Everton are all sitting on or around 49 points, separated by goal difference alone.
Brighton dropped a major chance when they lost at Leeds, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring a late winner to damage their Europa League hopes. Brentford drew 2-2 with Crystal Palace, missing their own chance to move clear. Sunderland beat Everton 3-1 to jump into the picture, while Newcastle’s 3-1 win over West Ham kept them alive.
Chelsea face Sunderland on the final day in what looks like a direct head-to-head for a European place, provided Chelsea also beat Tottenham in their midweek game in hand. Fulham are technically still in contention in 13th but their goal difference makes it essentially impossible.
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What Needs to Happen on the Final Day
Every team in contention needs to win. That is the simple part. The complicated part is what happens elsewhere.
Liverpool’s spot in the Champions League gets confirmed with a win over Brentford. A loss opens the door for Bournemouth if they beat Manchester City — a result that would simultaneously affect the title race — and then also win at Nottingham Forest.
For the Europa League and Conference League places, Brighton against Manchester United and Brentford against Liverpool are the two matches that will shape the bottom half of the European picture most directly.
Sunderland manager Regis le Bris summed it up plainly after his side beat Everton: “It’s on, but it’s not done.”
That is probably the most honest way to describe where every club below fifth place stands right now. One game left. Nothing decided.
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