1 month ago
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Mark OgdenApr 21, 2025, 06:30 PM ET
LONDON -- Five teams, each with 5 games to play, and 3 Champions League spots up for grabs.
Nottingham Forest weren't expected to beryllium successful that conversation, but they present pb the five-way contention aft their 2-1 win astatine Tottenham connected Monday. With the result, Forest are turning the screws connected Newcastle United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Aston Villa.
The contention for Champions League is wherever the excitement is astatine successful the Premier League. The rubric contention is arsenic bully arsenic implicit with Liverpool needing conscionable 1 much triumph to go champions -- they tin seal the woody against Spurs astatine Anfield connected Sunday. The relegation battle, too, is astir done with Southampton and Leicester already knocked down, and Ipswich having joined them yet lone owed to extremity differential.
But the conflict to suffice for adjacent season's Champions League is present truthful aggravated that it is astir definite to tally until the last time of the run connected May 25.
The performances of the Premier League teams successful European contention this play person ensured that England volition apical the UEFA co-efficient array and unafraid an further Champions League spot successful the 2025-26, truthful alternatively 4 qualification berths, 5 slots are present available. With Liverpool and Arsenal assuredly securing the archetypal 2 spots, that leaves 3 more.
Yet close now, conscionable 3 points abstracted Forest successful 3rd presumption and Villa successful seventh. Five clubs are truthful tightly congested that immoderate could decorativeness 3rd oregon seventh. A dropped constituent present oregon a precocious extremity conceded determination could beryllium to beryllium the quality betwixt facing Real Madrid successful the Champions League adjacent play oregon spending Thursday nights against Europe's lesser lights successful the Europa League.
Forest's triumph astatine Spurs connected Monday -- aft back-to-back defeats against Villa and Everton had seemingly triggered a descent retired of the Champions League contention -- enabled Nuno Espirito Santo's broadside to determination onto 60 points, a constituent wide of fourth-place Newcastle.
But each could alteration connected Tuesday erstwhile Manchester City (fifth, 58 points) look Villa (seventh, 57 points) astatine the Etihad. No substance what happens betwixt Pep Guardiola's squad and Unai Emery's side, Forest won't driblet retired of the apical 5 connected Tuesday. But betwixt present and the last games connected May 25, each of the 5 teams chasing the 3 remaining spots volition beryllium playing a shot mentation of snakes-and-ladders.
Having finished successful 17th presumption past play -- 1 spot supra the relegation trapdoor -- cipher could person foreseen Forest's singular play this clip around, but Nuno's squad person been capable to support gait with the much fancied sides owed to their organisation, squad ethic and the goals of Chris Wood, who took his Premier League tally to 19 for the play against Spurs.
But aft their caller wobble, tin Forest present clasp their nervus and get implicit the enactment to instrumentality to the Champions League for the archetypal clip 1980-81? Their remaining run-in docket is comparatively kind, with Brentford astatine location and Crystal Palace distant adjacent up earlier a location crippled against relegated Leicester and travel to struggling West Ham.
If Forest are inactive successful the shake-up aft that series of games, they volition look Chelsea astatine the City Ground connected the last time successful what could beryllium a Champions League decider.
Newcastle's fixture list, meanwhile, looks much difficult, particularly with nary denotation yet arsenic to when, oregon if, manager Eddie Howe volition beryllium capable to instrumentality to enactment aft being hospitalised with pneumonia. Saturday's location crippled against Ipswich Town should beryllium a straightforward win, but past travel tougher assignments against Brighton away, Chelsea astatine home, Arsenal distant and Everton astatine St James' Park connected the last day.
Man City's biggest hurdle could beryllium Tuesday's brushwood with Villa due to the fact that aft that game, Guardiola's broadside look Wolves astatine home, Southampton away, Bournemouth astatine location and Fulham away. Despite their struggles this season, City truly should seal a apical 5 decorativeness from that fixture list.
Chelsea are the squad that looks to person the biggest conflict ahead. Already extracurricular the apical 5 aft conscionable 2 wins from their past 5 league games, Enzo Maresca's broadside look Everton astatine Stamford Bridge connected Saturday earlier successive games against Liverpool astatine location and Newcastle away.
A location crippled against Manchester United connected May 16 whitethorn connection Chelsea immoderate much-needed respite earlier they extremity their play astatine Forest. Chelsea are apt to request to triumph astatine slightest 4 of their past 5 games to clinch a apical 5 spot and that looks a gangly bid successful their existent form.
Villa? Last Saturday's 4-1 triumph against Newcastle threw Emery's broadside a Champions League lifeline, but they volition request to debar decision astatine City connected Tuesday to debar becoming outsiders for a apical 5 finish.
If they tin execute a affirmative effect astatine the Etihad, games against Fulham astatine location and Bournemouth distant volition beryllium opportunities to physique momentum earlier ending their play with back-to-back games against Spurs astatine location and Man United away.
And let's not hide Spurs and Man United, adjacent though their supporters would emotion to erase this play from their representation banks. If they conscionable successful the Europa League last successful Bilbao connected May 21 -- Spurs look Bodo/Glimt and United conscionable Athletic Club successful the semifinals adjacent period -- the victor volition clinch a spot successful the Champions League and instrumentality the Premier League's practice to six teams adjacent season.
Right now, that would beryllium a gathering betwixt teams sitting 14th (Man United) and 16 (Spurs) successful the Premier League. It's possibly the lowest-quality Champions League playoff successful history.
But astatine the apical extremity of the table, 5 teams are pushing hard for 3 places successful the contention and the contention volition guarantee fireworks implicit the last period of the season.
