The final round of Premier League matches on Sunday will settle several major issues across the table, despite Arsenal already securing their first league title in 22 years earlier this week. Manchester City and Manchester United have also guaranteed top-three finishes, while Aston Villa has already booked a place in next season’s Champions League.
However, Villa’s Europa League final against Freiburg has created an unusual situation where England could potentially have six clubs in next season’s Champions League. England earned one of the two elite performance spots, ensuring five Premier League sides will qualify for Europe’s top competition instead of the usual four.
For a sixth English club to enter the Champions League, Villa must defeat Freiburg and then finish fifth in the league. Emery’s side currently occupy fourth place, three points ahead of Liverpool, meaning the Reds would need to beat Brentford while Villa lose away to Manchester City for that scenario to happen.
That outcome would also impact Bournemouth and Brighton. Bournemouth would secure a top-six finish with a point against Nottingham Forest, while Brighton must defeat Manchester United and hope Bournemouth lose if they are to finish sixth themselves.
If Villa fail to win the Europa League, qualification becomes more straightforward, with only the top five Premier League teams reaching the Champions League. Liverpool would then need only a draw against Brentford to confirm a top-five finish.
Europa League battle involves several clubs
Bournemouth are already assured of finishing no lower than seventh, guaranteeing at least Europa League football unless the Premier League gains six Champions League spots instead.
At present, both sixth and seventh positions qualify for the Europa League because Manchester City won the FA Cup and England received an additional European berth through the EPS system. Should England send six clubs to the Champions League, one Europa League place would disappear, leaving only seventh place as a Europa League qualification position.
Brighton currently sit seventh and hold a one-point advantage over Chelsea and Brentford. Victory over Manchester United would guarantee the Seagulls at least a Europa League spot.
Chelsea can climb above Brighton if they win at Sunderland and Brighton fail to collect three points. The Blues could even move ahead with a draw if Brighton lose by two goals and Brentford do not defeat Liverpool.
Sunderland also retain a slim chance of finishing in the top seven. For that to happen, they must beat Chelsea while Brighton lose and Brentford fail to win.
Conference League place also undecided
The fight for the Conference League qualifying play-off spot remains unresolved heading into the final fixtures. Chelsea currently occupies eighth place, which would secure entry into the competition because of Manchester City’s EFL Cup triumph and England’s additional European allocation.
A win against Sunderland would ensure Chelsea finishes in a European position at minimum. Brentford, meanwhile, can overtake the Blues if they achieve a better result than Chelsea on the final day.
Sunderland, currently 10th, are still mathematically capable of climbing above both clubs. That would require victory over Chelsea combined with Brentford dropping points at Anfield.
The final standings among Brighton, Chelsea, Brentford, and Sunderland will therefore determine which clubs continue their European campaigns next season.
Relegation fight down to Tottenham and West Ham
At the bottom of the table, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley have already been relegated to the Championship. The final relegation place will go to either Tottenham Hotspur or West Ham United.
Spurs begin the last day in 17th place, two points ahead of West Ham and with a vastly superior goal difference. Tottenham are 12 goals better off, leaving them in a very strong position to survive.
A draw at home against Everton would almost certainly be enough for Spurs to remain in the Premier League. The only way they could still go down after drawing would be if West Ham defeated Leeds by at least 12 goals, something never previously seen in Premier League history.
Victory over Everton would guarantee Tottenham’s safety regardless of other results. West Ham, meanwhile, must beat Leeds to have any hope of survival, and they would also need Spurs to lose at home to Everton.