All the European qualification permutations ahead of the Premier League final day | OneFootball

The Premier League has arrived at its final round of fixtures with the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League places still to be decided.

Liverpool, Bournemouth, Brighton, Chelsea, Brentford and Sunderland are all in the race for Europe still, with the competition or their involvement entirely on the line this Sunday.

Here’s what every club needs and the possibilities depending on their own result and others:

Aston Villa

Current position: 4th

Possible final positions: 4th or 5th

Villa won the Europa League and will play in the Champions League next season, but due to the former, they could unlock a sixth Champions League place for the Premier League should they finish fifth.

If they avoid defeat at Manchester City, they will finish fourth, denying sixth place entry to the Champions League.

The Premier League has been given a European Performance Spot (EPS) and should they finish fifth, the extra Champions League berth goes down to sixth.

Villa would have to lose to Man City, with Liverpool, currently fifth, requiring a win over Brentford at Anfield.

Regardless of the results on Sunday, fifth will qualify for the Champions League and eighth will qualify for the Conference League.

If Villa finish fourth, then sixth and seventh in the league will qualify for the Europa League. Should Villa finish fifth, then sixth will qualify for the Champions League and only seventh will go to the Europa League.

Possible final positions: 4th, 5th or 6th

Liverpool (+10) have a superior goal difference to Aston Villa (+6), meaning the Reds can jump over Villa into fourth place if they beat Brentford and Villa suffer defeat at Man City in Pep Guardiola’s final game.

Liverpool should look over their shoulders too, though, with three points between them and sixth-placed AFC Bournemouth, they must secure a point against Brentford to guarantee Champions League football.

If the Bees win at Anfield, then Liverpool could finish sixth, if Bournemouth (+4) beat Nottingham Forest and overturn a six-goal deficit in goal difference.

Current position: 6th

Possible final positions: 5th, 6th or 7th

Bournemouth are in Europe for next season, but must still fight to the end of the campaign to decide which competition.

Bournemouth can qualify for the Champions League by overtaking Liverpool with the above formula, but they can still do so if Villa lose against Man City, Liverpool beat Brentford and then Andoni Iraola’s side avoid defeat at Forest - or if Brighton fail to beat Manchester United. That would then lock up sixth, which could emerge as a European Performance Spot (EPS) should Villa drop down to fifth.

There is the very unlikely scenario of an end-of-season playoff to decide the final Champions League place. Liverpool must lose 1-0 to Brentford; Bournemouth must beat Forest 5-0 and then the goals scored, goals conceded, head-to-head points and away goals against one another would all be identical.

Possible final positions: 6th, 7th, 8th or 9th

Brighton are just Bournemouth, but they have the tie-breaker of a better goal difference, so the Seagulls can go above the Cherries into sixth place if they beat Man United and Andoni Iraola’s side lose vs Forest.

Brighton would get Champions League football in this scenario if Villa lose against Man City and Liverpool beat Brentford, should that not happen, then they would be forced to settle for the Europa League.

A win for Brighton guarantees Europa League football at least. But should they lose, they could fall as low as ninth and not even play in the Conference League.

Current position: 8th

Possible final positions: 7th, 8th, 9th 10th or 11th

Chelsea, currently in eighth, are set for the Conference League. But due to their superior goal difference (+7) over Brentford (+3), should they beat Sunderland and Brighton (+9), just one point ahead of the Blues, lose or draw against Man Utd, then they will likely finish seventh.

If Brighton lose by two goals and Brentford don’t win at Liverpool, then Chelsea can go into seventh, above Brighton, with just a draw at the Stadium of Light.

A loss for Chelsea means no European football whatsoever, with the Black Cats or Brentford jumping above them.

Possible final positions: 7th, 8th, 9th 10th, 11th or 12th

Brentford are not on track for European qualification, as their inferior goal difference sees them below Chelsea, despite the same points, in ninth. Their goal difference (+3) is four worse than Chelsea (+7).

So the Bees must earn a better result than Chelsea’s at Sunderland to jump into the top eight and secure Conference League football.

They can still qualify for the Europa League if they beat Liverpool at Anfield, with Chelsea and Brighton failing to win their games.

Current position: 10th

Possible final positions: 7th, 8th, 9th 10th, 11th or 12th

Sunderland, sitting in 10th, must beat Chelsea to stand a chance of a top eight finish and European football.

Beating the Blues and Brentford failing to beat Liverpool will do it, moreover, if Brighton also lose against Man United, then Sunderland can catapult up to seventh and the Europa League.