Premier League fifth place qualifying rules if Man City win the Champions League and Liverpool miss out on the top 4
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City team may be two games away from winning the Champions League honors for the first time
Liverpool late gave up on their charge for Champions League qualification this season – but there’s still a chance they’ll make it to the European marquee competition.
Amid a largely frustrating campaign at Anfield, the Reds have moved up to fifth in the Premier League standings with six straight wins. They are currently a point behind Manchester United but their arch-rivals still have a game to go.
Back-to-back defeats for United have given Liverpool renewed hope, while there would be extra places in Europe for English clubs if Manchester City and West Ham win the Champions League and Europa Conference League respectively. Strictly speaking, however, there will be no extra ticket for the top table if City comes first.
After drawing 1-1 with semi-final opponents and holders Real Madrid at the fearsome Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday night, City are potentially two games away from getting their hands on elusive European honours. Either they or Real will meet one of the Milan clubs in the Istanbul showpiece on June 10.
However, the results will not particularly have an impact on what UEFA competition Liverpool will be playing in next season. As per qualification rules, City will earn their right to a Champions League spot by getting their hands on the famous trophy, but they have already done so due to their Premier League finish.
Automatic qualification would, in this particular case, go to whoever wins the highest-ranked national league within the UEFA bracket without such a privilege. As things stand, it would be the Ukrainian Premier League champions who would benefit, with Shakhtar Donetsk being the current leaders there.
Normally five clubs from the same country would be allowed to play in the Champions League, but for this to happen a team must win the competition and finish outside the Premier League top four; so Liverpool have only one path to the UCL for next season by finishing fourth or above.
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