The Premier League title race may be over with Liverpool winning the league, but there's another heated race for the final seven or so games of the season. The battle for the top four and direct qualification to the UEFA Champions League is at stake, and very little has been decided. Liverpool will be in next season's UCL, thanks to winning the Premier League and finishing top four, while Manchester City could finish second in the league and still not qualify (more on that below).
Here's a look at the table and what to know about the race for the top four.
Race for Europe
Through 31 matches. Places 1-4 qualify for UCL, while 5-6 go to the Europa League.
- Liverpool, 86 points
- Manchester City, 63 points
- Leicester City, 55 points
- Chelsea, 54 points
- Wolverhampton, 52 points*
- Manchester United, 49 points
- Tottenham, 45 points
*Wolves have played 32 games after Saturday's win over Aston Villa.
Who would be in now?
As it stands, Liverpool, Man City, Leicester and Chelsea are on pace to finish in the top four. Wolverhampton and Manchester United currently occupy the Europa League spots and are in UCL contention, while Tottenham is probably the team still in contention with the least amount of chances to qualify for UCL.
Could City really not make UCL?
It's possible. City is likely locked into second place, but we could see a scenario where fifth place in the Premier League qualifies for UCL instead of Pep Guardiola's side. In February, City was banned for two seasons from the Champions League and fined €30 million for breaking Financial Fair Play rules, UEFA announced. The ban starts next season with the club having be found to have misled the European governing body over its Etihad sponsorship, opening the door for other Premier League clubs to take their spot in the competition. City is currently appealing the decision.
What happens if City is banned, and when will we know?
So, if City ends up being banned, fifth place is expected to qualify for the Champions League. Of course, teams aren't going to want to leave it to the decision of the court. Being in the top four for clubs not named Man City will assure them a spot in the competition. If City's appeal isn't upheld, then a team that wasn't expecting to qualify for UCL will get in. A decision is expected during the first half of July by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. With the league season set to end on July 26, we may have a frantic, suddenly critical race for fifth place for the last couple matchdays of the season.
As it stands, Leicester City and Chelsea are far from guaranteed top four spots, and this is likely to go down to the last couple matchdays of the season. Buckle up.
"four" - Google News
June 29, 2020 at 10:19PM
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Premier League top-four race: Champions League qualification heats up as Chelsea, Leicester hold firm - CBS Sports
"four" - Google News
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