As the competition for a spot in the UEFA Champions League, Europa League and Conference League intensifies, football writer Ben Bloom assesses each team involved in the race for Europe.
When Declan Rice produced his double free-kick masterclass to sink Real Madrid on Tuesday night, it not only set up an unforgettable night for Arsenal but also had major repercussions for the Premier League as a whole.
That Arsenal win guaranteed English clubs an extra UEFA Champions League spot next season, ensuring all of the Premier League top five will qualify for Europe’s leading club competition.
With two UEFA Europa League places and one UEFA Conference League spot also up for grabs, it is looking increasingly likely that seventh and eighth will be rewarded with a place in Europe.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 |
Man City
MCI
|
32 | +20 | 55 |
| 5 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
32 | +3 | 54 |
| 6 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
31 | +17 | 53 |
| 7 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
30 | +13 | 53 |
| 8 |
Fulham
FUL
|
31 | +5 | 48 |
| 9 |
Brighton
BHA
|
32 | +2 | 48 |
| 10 |
Bournemouth
BOU
|
31 | +11 | 45 |
| 11 |
Crystal Palace
CRY
|
31 | +1 | 43 |
| 12 |
Brentford
BRE
|
31 | +4 | 42 |
Of the more established clubs, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are almost certainly out of the running, meaning a rare – and in some cases unprecedented – opportunity for Fulham, Brighton & Hove Albion, AFC Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and Brentford to secure European football.
Which of them will seize their chance? Here, we assess what is at stake at each club.
Fulham
Position: 8th, 48 points (played 31)
Back in 2010, Fulham came within five minutes of taking Atletico Madrid to a penalty shootout in the UEFA Europa League final, before Diego Forlan scored a late extra-time goal to secure victory for the Spaniards.
Fulham have only played European football once since (in 2011/12), flip-flopping between the Premier League and Championship multiple times over the last decade or so.
Head coach Marco Silva has worked wonders since joining at the start of the 2021/22 campaign, winning the Championship title in his first season in charge before guiding Fulham to 10th and 13th-place finishes.
Despite the loss of star midfielder Joao Paulinha last summer, they have not been out of the top half of the Premier League table since mid-September, securing victories over teams including Chelsea, Newcastle United (twice), Nottingham Forest (twice) and then Liverpool last weekend. Left-back Antonee Robinson has been one of the top flight’s standout players, providing 10 assists.
Next up is a huge match in the battle for Europe against Bournemouth on Monday night. These two teams played out a 2-2 draw earlier in the season.
Some tough fixtures remain against Chelsea, Aston Villa and a season-ending visit of Manchester City.
Fulham's next five PL fixtures
Brighton & Hove Albion
Position: 9th, 47 points (played 31)
Brighton spent big to strengthen all areas of the pitch last summer, and they have so far been rewarded with one of their best Premier League campaigns, although one marked by inconsistency.
Guided by Fabian Hurzeler – the youngest-ever permanent Premier League manager, who only turned 32 in February – they occupied an early top-five spot before going eight matches without a win through late November, December and into January.
Conversely, following a shocking 7-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest in February, they then went on a four-game winning streak. All too often, there has been a sense of feast or famine at the Amex Stadium.
Injuries have not always been kind to Hurzeler’s side, who will look to return to winning ways after successive defeats when they host luckless Leicester City on Saturday. They then visit Brentford, where victory would put a big dent in the west Londoners’ European hopes.
Brighton’s only previous European campaign came last season, when Roberto De Zerbi guided them to a last-16 defeat against Roma. Prior to that, they memorably beat Ajax (twice), AEK Athens and Marseille.
Brighton's next five PL fixtures
Bournemouth
Position: 10th, 45 points (played 31)
Culminating in a 5-0 rout of Nottingham Forest at the end of January, Andoni Iraola’s side went a club-record 11 Premier League matches unbeaten as they compiled a brilliant run to climb up the table.
Either side of that period has been tricky, though. They lost five of their opening 12 matches, and are currently without a win in their last six outings – a run that has seen them slide from fifth to 10th.
Nonetheless, having only once before finished in the Premier League top half, this could yet be a history-making season for the club.
Iraola’s thrilling high-pressing, fast-breaking approach has gained admirers throughout the game, as well as accounting for a number of notable scalps, including Arsenal, Man City and Newcastle.
Although beset by injuries that have robbed them of important players at different points, Bournemouth have rarely struggled for goals, with Justin Kluivert (12), Evanilson (nine), Antoine Semenyo (seven) and Dango Ouattara [seven] all frequently finding the net in the Premier League. Left-back Milos Kerkez has also been outstanding.
The fixture list does not look particularly kind as the season reaches its climax, with European-chasing Fulham and Crystal Palace up next followed by Arsenal, Aston Villa and Man City in May.
Bournemouth's next five fixtures
Crystal Palace
Position: 11th, 43 points (played 30)
Palace’s season can be neatly split in two: pre-December and post-December.
Amid great excitement after an excellent end to last season under Oliver Glasner, they began this campaign with only one victory in their opening 13 Premier League matches.
It was relegation form, but they have lost a mere three times since.
In their last 12 league matches – dating back to 29 December – only Liverpool (27) have picked up more points than the 26 of Palace. Furthermore, they are through to an FA Cup semi-final against Villa.
That gives them two bites of the cherry in their hunt for European football. If successful, it would be the first time they have qualified properly for Europe, having last played on the continent in the 1998/99 UEFA Intertoto Cup when they were the only English club to apply to compete (they did so despite finishing bottom of the Premier League).
Much of their success this season has been built on defensive prowess – goalkeeper Dean Henderson and Daniel Munoz, in particular, catching the eye – with only Liverpool (30) and Arsenal (26) conceding fewer than their 35 Premier League goals.
Jean-Philippe Mateta has also found form, scoring more league goals (nine) than anyone other than Mohamed Salah, with 10, this calendar year.
They face a tough set of remaining fixtures, including five of the current top six.
Palace's next five fixtures
Brentford
Position: 12th, 42 points (played 31)
Having spent almost the entirety of their history outside the top flight, Brentford have never before sampled European football.
Currently in 12th, their hopes of doing so remain slim, especially with a difficult trip to Arsenal on Saturday, followed by matches against Brighton and Forest. But Thomas Frank’s side are very much eyeing what would be only their second ever top-half finish.
This season has been marked by a confusing contrast to Brentford's home and away form at different points of the campaign.
They began with seven wins and a draw from their opening eight matches at the Gtech Community Stadium, but had to wait until their 10th match on their travels to taste victory.
Yet things have since reversed entirely. Brentford are currently without a home victory for eight matches, but recently went on a five-game winning run away.
The club’s front three of Bryan Mbeumo, Yoane Wissa and Mikkel Damsgaard have been a revelation this season. Mbeumo and Wissa have scored 16 and 14 league goals respectively, while Damsgaard sits joint-second on the Premier League assists charts with 10.
