Race for Europe: How it stands and remaining fixtures

More details on the teams battling for places in UEFA Champions League, Europa League and Conference League The race for Europe is heading for a thrilling finale, with around HALF of the Premier League's teams battling for places in three European competitions. With the top five teams likely to qualify for the UEFA Champions League, and the European places as a result set to go down to seventh place, there is all to play for. Just seven points separate the nine teams who are currently ranked fifth to 13th, from Liverpool all the way down to AFC Bournemouth.Champions League spots Usually, at the end of each season, the top four teams in the Premier League table qualify for the next season's UEFA Champions League - Europe's elite club competition. But this season the Premier League is set to earn a fifth Champions League spot - as it did last season for the first time. This is because England (ie. the Premier League) is on course to claim again one of two additional spots available through UEFA’s coefficient table, which measures how clubs from each country perform as a collective across European competitions.If the Premier League does get the extra Champions League spot, Arsenal will return to the competition next season as they are guaranteed a top-five finish, and Manchester City are also well clear of sixth-placed Chelsea. Manchester United and Aston Villa have a seven-point and six-point cushion to sixth place respectively. But fifth-placed Liverpool face a real fight to keep that spot, with Chelsea only one point behind, and Brentford and Everton just two points further back.When do the top six sides play each other? 12 April Chelsea v Man City18 April Chelsea v Man Utd19 April Man City v Arsenal2 May Man Utd v Liverpool9 May Liverpool v Chelsea17 May Aston Villa v Liverpool24 May Man City v Aston Villa All remaining fixtures for the top six MW Arsenal Man City Man Utd Aston Villa Liverpool Chelsea 32 BOU (H) CHE (A) LEE (H) NFO (A) FUL (H) MCI (H) 33 MCI (A) ARS (H) CHE (A) SUN (H) EVE (A) MUN (H) 34 NEW (H) BUR (A) BRE (H) FUL (A) CRY (H) BHA (A) 35 FUL (H) EVE (A) LIV (H) TOT (H) MUN (A) NFO (H) 36 WHU (A) BRE (H) SUN (A) BUR (A) CHE (H) LIV (A) 37 BUR (H) BOU (A) NFO (H) LIV (H) AVL (A) TOT (H) 38 CRY (A) AVL (H) BHA (A) MCI (A) BRE (H) SUN (A) TBC - CRY (H) - - - Scroll across to see full table UEFA Europa League Two Europa League places are given to English clubs. One is given to the FA Cup winners. The other goes to the Premier League's fifth-placed team - or the sixth-placed team if the top five clubs qualify for the Champions League, as above. It means there is plenty at stake for the teams who are chasing Liverpool and Chelsea who don't regularly earn European qualification. For example, seventh-placed Brentford have never been in Europe, and eighth-placed Everton were last involved in European competition six years ago, in 2017/18. UEFA Conference League The EFL Cup winners get a place in the Conference League playoff round. Man City won the cup in March, but as it stands, won't need the Conference League spot that comes with the trophy because they are on course to qualify for a better European competition - the Champions League or Europa League - through their league position. In that case, the Conference League place would go to the next-highest ranked team below who have not qualified for UEFA competitions in the Premier League. If the top five teams qualify for the Champions League, then the sixth-placed team would get a Europa League spot, and the seventh-placed team would get a Conference League place. Also in this series