The race for a ticket to the Champions League in the Premier League is becoming more attractive than ever with only 2 rounds left.
According to the format, this season will have 5 Premier League leaders participating in the Champions League next season. The reason is the achievements of English clubs in all UEFA tournaments this season.
In fact, there will be 6 English clubs participating in the Champions League, including the top 5 teams in the national championship rankings, along with Man United or Tottenham - the two teams participating in the Europa League final.
At this time, after 36 rounds, the second-placed team Arsenal is only 6 points ahead of the seventh-placed team Nottingham Forest. Chelsea and Aston Villa have 63 points, Forest have 62 points.
Only champions Liverpool have secured a place in the Champions League. In theory, Arsenal has not yet secured a place in the highest level of European competition. But in reality, the Gunners can rest assured, they only need 1 more point to complete this goal.
Opta supercomputer rates Arsenal's chances of qualifying for the Champions League at 99.9% - almost absolute.
Newcastle and Man City are also rated higher in the race when they are ranked 3rd and 4th respectively in the rankings. Opta predicts Newcastle's chances of qualifying for the Champions League are 95%, while Man City's are 93%.
After the draw with Leicester, Forest's chances are assessed to have dropped to 18%, while Chelsea's is 56% and Aston Villa's have increased to 40%.
Coach Nuno Espirito Santo and his team will visit West Ham before the top 5 match on the home day against Chelsea.
Villa's remaining opponents are also quite formidable. They meet two Europa League finalists, Man United and Tottenham, but still have to wait for the teams above to drop points to be able to squeeze into the top 5.
The two FA Cup finalists, Man City and Crystal Palace, could also affect the race for tickets to the European Cup.
If Man City qualify for the Champions League through a Premier League position and win the FA Cup (equivalent to a place in the Europa League), the team with the highest ranking but not qualified to participate in the two top European tournaments will be given the opportunity.
If Palace win the FA Cup, they will qualify for the Europa League.
If Man City won the FA Cup and is eligible to attend the Champions League through its position in the tournament and Newcastle is eligible to attend the Champions League through the Premier League, then the two European Cups for the domestic championship team will be ceded to the following teams on the rankings.
That means the eighth-placed team could still qualify for the European Cup. This will be the motivation for teams like Bournemouth, Brentford, Brighton and Fulham to enter the final matches in the Premier League with a high determination.
