The situation surrounding Champions League qualification is intriguing after Aston Villa battered Liverpool on Friday night, especially with Arne Slot surely moving yet another huge step towards the inevitable sack.
The talk is that he won’t survive anyway as Liverpool boss but that failure to qualify for the Champions League will seal his departure beyond any doubt.
For so many other clubs as well, the Aston Villa situation is pivotal when it comes to Champions League qualification.
Villa won 4-2 last night and it could and should have been far more. Virgil van Dijk put a false look on things with two set-piece headed goals, whilst Aston Villa had numerous chances/situations to score more goals as the scousers fell apart in the second half.
Arne Slot and his Liverpool players were booed off the pitch last weekend, as they were lucky to escape with a 1-1 draw at Anfield against Chelsea. Indeed, Arne Slot had been the target of abuse from Liverpool fans increasingly throughout the match, especially due to the negative tactics and substitutions.
Liverpool would have had Champions League qualification wrapped up with a win in either of these last two matches but instead it is now in serious doubt.
The Premier League table looks like this on Saturday morning:
This is where it then gets very interesting in terms of Champions League qualification.
The top five places in the Premier League will get Champions League qualification. So Aston Villa qualified last night because now none of the clubs from sixth downwards can catch them.
The sixth placed team will also get Champions League qualification if Aston Villa win their Europa League final against Freiburg AND Villa finish fifth in the Premier League. This won’t apply if they finish fourth in the Premier League, only fifth.
So now there will be a sixth Champions League spot via the Premier League ONLY if Liverpool win their last game of the season and Villa lose theirs, plus of course Aston Villa also having to win that Europa League final.
These are the remaining Premier League matches for Liverpool, Aston Villa, Bournemouth and Brighton.
Leeds v Brighton (Sunday 17 May 3pm)
Bournemouth v Man City (Tuesday 19 May 7.30pm)
Brighton v Man U (Sunday 24 May 4pm)
Liverpool v Brentford (Sunday 24 May 4pm)
Man City v Aston Villa (Sunday 24 May 4pm)
Forest v Bournemouth (Sunday 24 May 4pm)
Liverpool will definitely qualify for the Champions League if they beat Brentford on the final day of the season.
If Bournemouth win their last two matches and Liverpool lose or draw against Brentford, then Bournemouth finish fifth and qualify for Champions League. Liverpool getting Europa League at best depending on other results, as sixth place won’t get UCL as Villa won’t have finished fifth.
Brighton will get fifth and qualify for the Champions League if they win both of their matches, Liverpool lose against Brentford and Bournemouth pick up less than six points from their last two matches.
There is now also the possibility of course that Arne Slot and Liverpool could finish seventh and end up playing UEFA Conference League football next season!