Bayern draw brings Spain closer
©IMAGO
In the race for an additional place in the Champions League, Germany has at least been able to make up some ground on Spain. After Atlético Madrid were eliminated, FC Bayern were also eliminated from the premier class in the semi-final second leg against defending champions Paris Saint-Germain, but unlike the Colchoneros, they were still able to achieve a draw (1-1). The remaining hopes now lie with SC Freiburg, who absolutely have to make it to the final of the Europa League. The Bundesliga also needs help.
What exactly is it about? Every season, UEFA awards two additional starting places in the Champions League to the two countries whose clubs score best in the European Cup. The UEFA ranking is calculated from the performances of all participating teams. With a win – regardless of the competition – a club collects two points, with a draw one. This number is halved in the qualification and playoffs. From the league phase onwards, bonus points are awarded for certain placements and for reaching further rounds. A nation’s total points are divided by the number of clubs from that country represented in the European Cup. This is how the UEFA coefficient is calculated.
The undisputed leader this season is once again England with 27,513 points. The Premier League has already secured one of the coveted two premier class tickets. Behind them, Spain is ahead of Germany (21,357) with 21,781 points. The late draw in Munich reduced the gap from 0.567 to 0.424 points, but it is no longer possible to catch up on our own. The Bundesliga still has a small advantage in duels: one less starter. Every success is worth a little more for Germany than for Spain. With a win, the German points account increases by 0.285, the Spanish only by 0.25; for a draw it is 0.142 compared to 0.125.
Due to the defeat and the elimination of Munich on Wednesday evening, it is already clear that SC Freiburg will have to reach a European Cup final for the first time. Otherwise the backlog can no longer be made up. In addition, Rayo Vallecano could be the last Spanish team in the Conference League to win the ticket on their own on Thursday. If the Franjirrojos also win the second leg at RC Strasbourg Alsace (2+0.5), Spain’s UEFA coefficient will rise to 22.093 – that would no longer be able to be caught up even with the maximum score of five points (2+1+2) if Breisgauer were to triumph in the Europa League for Germany (22.071). It doesn’t help that Freiburg would get 0.5 bonus points more than Rayo for making it to the final.
SC Freiburg has to go to the final for fifth place in the Champions League
Should the Madrid club reach the final with a draw, the sports club would have to win the title and Rayo would have to lose the final. Then the Bundesliga would have 22,071 points, just ahead of Spain with 21,968. If Rayo advances in the penalty shootout and loses the final (21.843), it would be enough if Freiburg also reaches the penalty shootout in the final (21.928). However, should Rayo fail in Strasbourg, a place in the final for Breisgau would be enough for the Bundesliga (21.785) to narrowly overtake LaLiga (21.781) – by four thousandths.
Even if the race against Spain were lost, Freiburg could still secure their ticket to the premier class with the Europa League title. If the sports club were to qualify for the European Cup via the Bundesliga, this starting place would no longer be available and would go to another nation. If Freiburg were to miss seventh place, the number of European Cup participants would increase to eight.
This article appeared on Transfermarkt in its first version on May 4th. at 5:23 p.m. and was subsequently updated.
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