The race to qualify for European football next season is set for a thrilling conclusion on the final day.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 |
Spurs
TOT
|
37 | +10 | 63 |
| 6 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
37 | +13 | 60 |
| 7 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
37 | +21 | 57 |
| 8 |
Man Utd
MUN
|
37 | -3 | 57 |
What do we know for sure?
Seven Premier League clubs will qualify for Europe this season.
The top four teams will go into the UEFA Champions League. Those spots have already been secured by Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Aston Villa.
The fifth-placed team will go into the UEFA Europa League. That is likely to be Tottenham Hotspur, who only need a draw against bottom club Sheffield United to make sure.
There are two more European places up for grabs - a second spot in the Europa League, and one in the UEFA Europa Conference League.
The sixth-placed team will get one of these places, but they won't know which European competition they're going into until AFTER the FA Cup final is played on 25 May.
After that it gets more complicated. But one of Chelsea, Newcastle and Manchester United will miss out on European qualification, so they have it all to play for, lying three points apart.
Why is the FA Cup final significant?
The FA Cup winners - who will be Man City or Man Utd - are rewarded with a place in the Europa League.
Man City wouldn't need that prize because they've already qualified for the Champions League so, if City win the FA Cup, the extra Europa League place would go to the Premier League's sixth-placed team instead. The seventh-placed team would then go into the Europa Conference League.
If Man Utd instead win the FA Cup final then they would take the Europa League spot regardless of where they finish in the league, and the team finishing sixth would go into the Conference League instead of the Europa League.
Qualification according to FA Cup result
| Man City win FAC | Man Utd win FAC* | |
|---|---|---|
| 5th | UEL | UEL |
| 6th | UEL | UECL |
| 7th | UECL | - |
| 8th | - | - |
*Man Utd get Europa League spot as FA Cup winners
UEL = UEFA Europa League
UECL = UEFA Europa Conference League
Remaining fixtures
What do Spurs need?
A draw at bottom club Sheff Utd would ensure they finish fifth and qualify for the Europa League.
Even if they lose and are overtaken by Chelsea, they are guaranteed to play in a European competition next season as they cannot finish lower than sixth.
What do Chelsea need?
A draw at home against AFC Bournemouth would secure a sixth-placed finish. The Blues would then hope that Man City win the FA Cup final, so that the second Europa League spot goes to the sixth-placed team.
If Chelsea finish sixth and Man Utd win the FA Cup final, Chelsea would drop into the Europa Conference League instead.
If Chelsea beat Bournemouth and Spurs lose to Sheff Utd, Mauricio Pochettino's side would finish fifth and be certain of a Europa League spot.
What do Newcastle need?
The Magpies must win at Brentford and hope Chelsea lose to Bournemouth. Then Eddie Howe's side will almost certainly finish sixth due to having a superior goal difference than Chelsea. They must then wait for the FA Cup final to see which European competition they are going into.
If Newcastle miss out on sixth, they must ensure they finish seventh above Man Utd - with the sides currently level on points - and then hope that Man City win the FA Cup final. That would earn them a place in the Europa Conference League.
What do Man Utd need?
The eighth-placed Red Devils have two shots at Europe - they can qualify through their league position or by winning the FA Cup.
Sixth place looks out of reach, given Chelsea are three points ahead and 16 goals better off on goal difference. Man Utd must therefore focus on bettering Newcastle's result this weekend when they visit Brighton & Hove Albion and aim to leapfrog the Magpies into seventh place.
If they can do so, Man Utd would qualify for a European competition regardless of what happens in the FA Cup final.
If they win at Wembley Stadium then they would take a place in the Europa League as the competition winners. If they lost against Man City then their seventh-place finish would take them into the Europa Conference League.