Aston Villa fans will not be the only ones celebrating the Villans’ triumph in the Europa League final; there will be others on the south coast who will be smiling ear to ear for different reasons.
By dismantling Freiburg 3-0 in Istanbul on Wednesday night, Villa have potentially opened the door to the possibility of a sixth Premier League side qualifying for the Champions League.
As a reward for English clubs’ collective progress in European competitions this season, the Premier League has been awarded a European Performance Spot (EPS) in the Champions League. This means an extra team will qualify for Europe’s elite club competition based on league position.
Unai Emery’s side have already qualified for Europe’s premier competition organically via the league, after taking Liverpool to the cleaners five days prior to their historic victory at the Tupras Stadium.
Villa currently sit fourth and are three points better off than Liverpool going into the final day on Sunday. However, their goal difference is four goals worse than the Reds’, which means they could still feasibly finish fifth in the table.
If they lose to Manchester City at the Etihad in their last game, and Arne Slot’s side get past European-chasing Brentford, then the team that finishes sixth in the Premier League will qualify for the Champions League.
Aston Villa’s Europa League triumph has opened the door for a sixth Premier League team to qualify for the Champions League
It means Bournemouth or Brighton could still make next seasons Champions League, depending on whether Villa finish fourth or fifth
This would mean that Bournemouth, who are currently sixth place and three points behind Liverpool, or Brighton, who are a further three points back behind the Cherries, could make their bow in club football’s most prestigious competition, depending on results.
If Villa lost, Liverpool won, and Bournemouth beat Nottingham Forest on the final day, then the south coast side will be hearing the Champions League anthem at the Vitality Stadium next season.
But in the same scenario, should they lose to Forest and Brighton turn over Manchester United, then it would be the Seagulls that take sixth spot and a place among Europe’s elite.
Bournemouth might not even need Villa to lose, however. If they beat Forest, Liverpool lose at home to Brentford – and there is a six-goal swing – then Andoni Iraola’s side will finish in fifth.
In that scenario, Liverpool would miss out on the Champions League, as Villa would finish fourth, and the extra place would not move down.
In terms of other European competition qualification, a lot may change there. With Manchester City winning the FA Cup, since they have already qualified for the Champions League, the Europa League spot would be passed to seventh, if Aston Villa finish fifth, and the Conference League spot would go down to eighth.
If Villa finish fourth, the EPS would not be passed down, and instead, the top five in the Premier League would go into the Champions League. Sixth position would earn a Europa League spot and seventh would get their hands on a Conference League place – before any knock-on effect from the FA Cup.
The highest Chelsea can currently finish is seventh, as they sit level on points with ninth-placed Brentford, and one behind Brighton.
