Final round of Premier League: Fierce battle for Champions League qualification

3 Champions League spots

The race for the championship and relegation in the 2024-25 Premier League ended a few rounds ago, but the battle for a place in next season's European Cup is still very fierce.

The Premier League will have 5 places in the Champions League next season, but before the final round, only two teams have secured their places, which are champions Liverpool and second-placed Arsenal. The next 3 places will belong to the teams ranked 3rd, 4th, 5th. However, the gap between 3rd-placed Man City and 7th-placed Nottingham is currently only 3 points, making the final round a fierce competition as 5 teams will compete for 3 places.

Man City has a big advantage in winning a ticket to the Champions League (Photo: Getty).

Man City currently has the biggest advantage, with the current 3rd position and a 2-point gap with the teams below, along with the advantage of goal difference of +34. In the final round, Man City will visit Fulham and only need to avoid a defeat to secure a place in the Top 5.

The 6th ranked team, Aston Villa, is 2 points behind Man City, with a goal difference of only +9. Therefore, even if Man City draws and Aston Villa wins, the Villa Park team will still be behind because it is unrealistic to close the gap of 25 goals after a match.

The situation is quite difficult for the 4th-placed Newcastle and the 5th-placed Chelsea, who are on the same number of points and are above Aston Villa on goal difference. Newcastle will host Everton at home, Chelsea will visit Nottingham, who also have a slim hope of breaking into the Top 5 if they win.

Aston Villa will be a guest at Man Utd, the hope of victory for Unai Emery's team is very high as the home team at Old Trafford is in unstable form. However, Aston Villa is in a position where they cannot decide for themselves even if they win.

A less-watched race is Brighton and Brentford for the Conference Cup places. With Newcastle, the League Cup winners, playing in either the Champions League or Europa League, the Conference Cup places will go to the team finishing eighth. Brighton have a three-point advantage over their rivals. A draw at Tottenham would be enough to secure their place, while Brentford will have to hope their rivals lose and they win at Wolves.

Mohamed Salah closes in on Golden Boot award

Salah had an outstanding season in the Premier League (Photo: Getty).

Mohamed Salah has been voted the Premier League's best player as Liverpool won the title. The Egyptian striker is closing in on a second individual award as he leads the scoring charts with 28 goals, five more than runner-up Alexander Isak.

It is unlikely that Isak will score 5 or more goals against Everton, and Salah failed to score against Crystal Palace in the final round. Therefore, the 4th Golden Boot award is close to the Egyptian striker. Salah is also leading the list of assists, with 18 times he has assisted his teammates to score, 6 times more than Newcastle's Jacob Murphy.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/vong-dau-cuoi-tai-premier-league-cam-go-cuoc-chien-du-champions-league-20250525103912048.htm