Possibly even six English clubs in the Champions League, bizarre scenario remains possible for Arne Slot | Sport

There is a chance that England will send six clubs to the Champions League next season. That will be the case if Liverpool takes over Aston Villa in the rankings today on the final day. A play-off between Liverpool and Bournemouth after the competition is also still a possibility.

Aston Villa already qualified for the Champions League with the 4-2 victory over Liverpool. The club from Birmingham was therefore assured of a place in the top five, enough for a Champions League ticket because England and Spain get fifth place due to the good performances of their clubs in Europe this season.

After Aston Villa’s Europa League win on Wednesday evening, a new scenario has emerged. Aston Villa is already certain of the Champions League ticket, but Liverpool and Bournemouth will still compete for fifth place on Sunday.

However, there is also a real chance that it won’t matter what Liverpool and Bournemouth do and both will enter the Champions League. For that, Aston Villa must lose on Sunday and Liverpool must win.

Liverpool then finishes fourth and Aston Villa fifth. The number six will therefore enter the Champions League. For Bournemouth, a draw against Nottingham Forest is enough, which is already safe. There is also a chance that Brighton & Hove Albion will qualify for the Champions League.

The team of Bart Verbruggen, Jan Paul van Hecke, Mats Wieffer and Joël Veltman is seventh, but can still get over Bournemouth. To achieve this, Brighton must beat Manchester United at home and Bournemouth must lose.

The chance that Aston Villa will lose on Sunday seems likely. Unai Emery’s team will celebrate their Europa League win and on Sunday Manchester City will want to end the era under Pep Guardiola on a good note. A seventh championship under the Catalan coach is no longer possible, but finishing with a victory in front of his own fans seems to be the minimum that the players can give him as a farewell gift.

However, there is still the scenario that Liverpool and Bournemouth will have to compete against each other for a Champions League ticket after the competition. That could be the case if Aston Villa takes at least a point, Liverpool loses at home to Brentford and Bournemouth wins.

In theory, it is not impossible for Liverpool and Bournemouth to end up equal in points, goals for and against and mutual results to end up exactly the same. That is the case when Liverpool loses 0-1 at home to Brentford and Bournemouth wins 0-5 at Nottingham Forest.

With these results, both clubs finished on 59 points and a goal difference of 62 for and 53 against. And then the rules prescribe that a ‘final’ must be played on neutral grounds to determine who gets the fifth Champions League ticket.

Because the mutual result does not produce a winner either. Liverpool, who won 4-2 at home and lost 3-2 away to Bournemouth, did slightly better. But in mutual matches, only the number of away goals is taken into account.

The bottom is also exciting. Tottenham Hotspur basically needs one point at home against Everton to avoid relegation. Competitor West Ham, which plays at home against Leeds, has a much worse goal difference.

Numbers 19 (Burnley) and 20 (Wolves) have already been relegated. Number 18 is also directly relegated.