Nine Premier League teams could still be in Europe, which is why the run-in has turned into something more complicated than a routine chase for the top four. Football365’s line-by-line guide even pushes the argument into the kind of territory where Manchester City are assured of a 16th straight Champions League season, Aston Villa can still alter the cut-off through their Europa League run, and Brentford sit a point off sixth. That is a lot of moving parts for a single league table.
How the routes into Europe are opening up
The scale of the scramble is the first thing that stands out. Arsenal are top with 76 points, Manchester City are second with 71 points, Liverpool are fourth with 58 points and Aston Villa are fifth with 58 points. That puts the usual Champions League spots in view for the clubs already near the top, but the source’s point is broader than that: there are multiple qualification paths still live, not just one neat top-four line.
That is why the guide can say, without stretching it, that nine Premier League teams could still be in Europe. The competition is not limited to the teams that started the week inside the obvious places, because cup outcomes and continental routes can still shift where the European cut-off lands. Manchester United sit inside that wider conversation too, but the standout detail remains how many clubs are still tied into it.
Why the list feels so strange
The oddest part of the scenario is not just the number of teams involved, it is the names that can still be mentioned. Football365’s wording puts it plainly: “It’s possible that NINE Premier League teams could be in Europe.” It also goes a step further with the kind of line that tells you how wide the possibilities have become: “Bournemouth. In the Champions League.”
That is not a prediction, and the brief is clear that Bournemouth are only in a conditional route. Even so, it shows how the race has moved beyond the standard league-table script. Manchester City’s confirmed 16th straight Champions League season gives the top end a familiar shape, but below that the picture is still messy, with Aston Villa’s Europa League run and Brentford’s position a point off sixth keeping the squeeze on the places below.
For now, the cleanest takeaway is that Europe is not being decided by one block of fixtures or one fixed threshold. It is being shaped by how several clubs finish, and by results outside the league table itself. That is what makes this race unusual, and why the guide reads more like a map than a table.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
