What is left to play for in the Premier League? Who can still qualify for the UEFA Champions League? Can the eighth-placed team make Europe?
Updated 21/05/2025 at 12:24 GMT+1
There is still so much to play for heading into the final weekend of the Premier League season. UEFA Champions League spots and places in next season's UEFA Europa and Conference League still hang in the balance. Ahead of a mouth-watering conclusion to the campaign, here is everything that is left to play for in the Premier League, and what each side will have to do to make it into Europe.
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There is still plenty to play for in this season's Premier League ahead of the final round of fixtures.
Liverpool have come out on top in the title race, while Ipswich Town, Leicester City and Southampton have all suffered an immediate return to the Championship, but the campaign is far from over.
Several sides still have the chance to make the 2024/25 season one to remember by qualifying for Europe.
With that in mind, here is every prize that is still up for grabs as we head into the closing stages of the campaign.
Who will make it into the Champions League?
Liverpool are 12 points clear at the top of the Premier League table, while Arsenal secured a second-placed finish for the third year in succession with their victory over Newcastle on Sunday.
However, the race for UEFA Champions League qualification is still wide open.
The top seven is so tight that any of Newcastle United, Manchester City and Chelsea could finish the season outside of the Champions League places.
Just three points currently separate Manchester City in third and Nottingham Forest in seventh.
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To add even more spice to the situation, there will be five Champions League places available in the Premier League this season due to UEFA's coefficient rules.
Manchester City have just a 3.1% chance of finishing outside of the top five, according to Opta Stats' predicted final league positions.
Due to their impressive goal difference, a draw on the final day would all but guarantee their place in next season's UEFA Champions League.
Newcastle currently occupy fourth place, but they are level on points with fifth-placed Chelsea and Aston Villa in sixth.
Again, due to their goal difference, a win would pretty much guarantee their place in Europe's elite competition next term, but they currently have a 17.8% chance of missing out.
Chelsea have a 19% chance of finishing in sixth and 23.1% chance of finishing in seventh despite boasting a significantly better goal difference than Villa.
Unai Emery's side need one of the clubs above them to slip up, meaning they are currently the favourites to finish in sixth with a 43% chance.
They also have a 13.8% chance of dropping into seventh.
Nottingham Forest are also ready to capitalise on any mistakes.
However, they will need to beat Chelsea on Sunday and hope another of the top five drops points, meaning they have an 80.1% chance of finishing outside the UEFA Champions League places.
A spot in Europe
Sixth place is guaranteed a spot in the UEFA Europa League, while the other place in the competition has gone to Crystal Palace, after their 1-0 victory over Man City in the FA Cup final on Saturday.
That means, as things stand, seventh place will enter the UEFA Conference League.
However, the team who finishes eighth could still get into Europe, which will be music to the ears of Brentford and Brighton & Hove Albion fans.
As per ESPN, if Chelsea finish seventh and win the Conference League on Wednesday 28 May, or if The Blues finish sixth and win the Conference League, while Newcastle finish seventh, then the eighth-placed team can get a place in the Conference League.
If the Conference League place drops down to eighth, then Brighton are the favourites to nab it.
They currently have an 88.4% chance of finishing eighth, while Brentford have an 11.6% chance.
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