The race to finish in the top five and qualify for next season's UEFA Champions League is heating up, with just TWO points separating the third and seventh-placed teams in the Premier League.
Newcastle United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa are fighting it out to join Liverpool, who have already secured a top-five finish, and Arsenal, who look certain to do so too, in the 2025/26 Champions League.
Champions League race
Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
![]() |
33 | +44 | 79 |
2 |
![]() |
33 | +34 | 66 |
3 |
![]() |
33 | +18 | 59 |
4 |
![]() |
33 | +22 | 58 |
5 |
![]() |
33 | +18 | 57 |
6 |
![]() |
32 | +13 | 57 |
7 |
![]() |
33 | +6 | 57 |
It's almost impossible to predict who will qualify. But we've asked 10 of our pundits to do exactly that.
All 10 agree that Man City AND Newcastle will finish in the top five. But only ONE of them is backing Chelsea.
See below to find out who they think will finish the season in the top five. Click on the arrows to view each pundit's picks.
Pundits predict the top five
Top five: Steve McManaman's predictions: 1st Liverpool; 2nd Arsenal; 3rd Man City; 4th Newcastle; 5th Nott'm Forest
1 / 10
Top five: Jermain Defoe's predictions: 1st Liverpool; 2nd Arsenal; 3rd Nott'm Forest; 4th Man City; 5th Newcastle
2 / 10
Top five: Tim Sherwood's predictions: 1st Liverpool; 2nd Arsenal; 3rd Man City; 4th Newcastle; 5th Chelsea
3 / 10
Top five: Shaun Wright-Phillips' predictions: 1st Liverpool; 2nd Arsenal; 3rd Newcastle; 4th Man City; 5th Nott'm Forest
4 / 10
Top five: Shay Given's predictions: 1st Liverpool; 2nd Arsenal; 3rd Man City; 4th Newcastle; 5th Aston Villa
5 / 10
Top five: Leon Osman's predictions: 1st Liverpool; 2nd Arsenal; 3rd Newcastle; 4th Man City; 5th Nott'm Forest
6 / 10
Top five: Matt Holland's predictions: 1st Liverpool; 2nd Arsenal; 3rd Newcastle; 4th Man City; 5th Nott'm Forest
7 / 10
Top five: Glenn Murray's predictions: 1st Liverpool; 2nd Arsenal; 3rd Man City; 4th Newcastle; 5th Nott'm Forest
8 / 10
Top five: Don Hutchison's predictions: 1st Liverpool; 2nd Arsenal; 3rd Newcastle; 4th Man City; 5th Nott'm Forest
9 / 10
Top five: Leroy Rosenior's predictions: 1st Liverpool; 2nd Arsenal; 3rd Newcastle; 4th Man City; 5th Aston Villa
10 / 10
Have YOUR say
Now, it's over to you. In our poll below, we want you to choose the five clubs who YOU think will finish in the top five.
To see each side's remaining fixtures, and an explanation of how exactly teams qualify for Europe, click here.