UEFA has explained how the 7th place in the Premier League can qualify for the Champions League (Image: Getty)
UEFA has confirmed that teams that secure seventh place in the Premier League can still qualify for the Champions League. A number of teams are currently competing to finish in the top four, securing a spot in next season’s competition.
Arsenal and Manchester City are very likely to secure their places in the tournament, but there are at least two, and possibly three, additional spots available.
England will gain additional Champions League spots through European Performance Spots (EPS), which will be awarded by UEFA according to each country’s respective coefficient.
This means that finishing fifth could be enough to qualify for the Champions League, as was the case with Newcastle United last season.
However, the Mirror reports that the situation could be complicated if certain Premier League teams are successful this season.
As Liverpool will play in the Champions League quarter-finals and Aston Villa in the Europa League quarter-finals, it is possible that the team that finishes seventh in the Premier League will receive the additional EPS granted by UEFA.
If Liverpool wins the Champions League, Villa wins the Europa League, and both clubs finish 5th and 6th in the Premier League respectively, then England will be allocated EPS to the team that finishes 7th in the Premier League.
Newcastle, Brentford, Brighton, Everton, Bournemouth and Fulham are among the clubs who could benefit from the rule, as they aim to secure seventh place in the Premier League this season.
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“If Liverpool win the UEFA Champions League and finish fifth and Aston Villa win the UEFA Europa League and finish sixth, EPS will be awarded to the club finishing seventh in the EPL in accordance with Articles 3.08 and 3.09 of the Competition Regulations,” UEFA confirmed to Shields Gazette.
Newcastle are among Premier League clubs that could benefit from receiving UEFA clarification (Image: Getty)
Newcastle were eliminated from the Champions League in midweek after defeat by Barcelona, but manager Eddie Howe has expressed the club’s ambitions to remain involved in the competition.
“Of course, this is where we want to be,” Howe said after the loss at Camp Nou.
“Today was a tough scoreline for us and a tough experience, but it was a great feeling and a great sight to see the players play like they did in the first half and execute 90% of what we wanted them to do. I don’t think we should forget everything with the scoreline, as difficult as it is for everyone.”
He added: “Our defense was not at the same level as against Chelsea a few days ago. We started with the first goal where two players slipped and then we conceded a set piece.”
“And probably the biggest moment was the penalty. Just like the way we played in the first half, when I thought we were outstanding in many aspects, it was a really good representation of how we want to play. There were just too many individual mistakes within the performance for us to live up to that great performance.”
“Really, if we had defended close to the level we were able to, I think we would have had the lead at halftime.”
