Premier League hopes of extra Champions League spot ended after Borussia Dortmund win
English clubs, almost certainly Tottenham Hotspur or Aston Villa, have missed out on a fifth Champions League place next season following Borussia Dortmund’s Champions League win against Paris St-Germain.
A disappointing European showing by the Premier League teams has meant that Italy’s Serie A and the German Bundesliga have seized the additional place that was on offer for next season’s extended 36-team competition, with English clubs again allocated four spaces.
These will go to Manchester City and Arsenal, as well almost certainly as Liverpool, but Aston Villa could still be overhauled by Tottenham in fourth. Unai Emery’s team have a seven point advantage over Spurs, who still have two games in hand.
The early Champions League exits of both Manchester United and Newcastle United seriously damaged England’s chances of that fifth Champions League spot even before Christmas but there was again hope following Premier League progress in the early knock-out rounds.
Manchester City and Arsenal both reached the Champions League quarter-finals while West Ham United and Liverpool each advanced to the last eight of the Europa League. Villa are also still in the Europa Conference League semi-finals.
Italy had already secured one of the additional places and the ongoing success of two German clubs in the Champions League means that they can no longer be overhauled by the English clubs, regardless of whether Villa do win a European trophy.
A league’s coefficient is determined by the best average performance from all its clubs across the European competitions. Each win is worth two coefficient points, a draw is worth one point but there is nothing for a defeat. There are also bonus points for reaching different points in each competition.
Had this system been in operation over the past five years, the Premier League would have had one of those additional spaces four times.
Dortmund, who are currently fifth in the Bundesliga, are most likely to take the extra German place next season.
