Which English teams will be in the Champions League next season?

Karan Ahgun

— 3 min read
Which English teams will be in the Champions League next season?

This season's Champions League final has been set after some really intriguing and exciting semi-final ties. Arsenal were the only English team to make it to the last 4, but were beaten by PSG, who beat all 4 of the English sides who participated in this season's tournament. For next season, it has been confirmed that the Top 5 Premier League teams will be in the Champions League, but there is a situation where this could increase to 6 if either Manchester United or Tottenham Hotspur make it through to the Europa League final and win it. So who is most likely to be competing in Europe's elite competition next season?

Currently, there is a 7 point gap between 2nd place Arsenal and 7th place Aston Villa with 3 games of the Premier League season to go. Barring any catastrophic disasters, Arsenal and Manchester City's places in next season's Champions League are almost definitely confirmed. City have a relatively easy run-in compared to the other teams in the fight and could even leapfrog Arsenal, despite having their worst season points-wise in a very long time. Some of the teams in the fight also still have to play each other in this run-in, with Newcastle playing Chelsea this weekend, Arsenal playing Newcastle next weekend and Nottingham Forest playing Chelsea on the final day. So there are still many twists and turns to come.

Nottingham Forest have been spectacular for the majority of this season and were quite comfortable in the Champions League places up until recently. They have slipped from 3rd to 6th after a run of 1 win in 5 games, and this rapid dip in form has put their potential participation in next season's Champions League in real jeopardy. Forest are 2 points behind 5th place Chelsea, and have a couple of winnable games before they play the Blues in what could be a shootout for a place in the Top 5. As for Aston Villa, they currently occupy 7th place and their chances of securing Champions League football are slim. Whilst they are only 3 points off Chelsea, they have to play some more difficult games on paper. However, Villa have to play Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United still and could benefit from those teams' shift in focus as they face each other in the Europa League final.

The race for Champions League places seems like it will go to the wire, and with some of the teams involved still having to play each other, there may still be a few twists and turns. It's the only thing left to play for in the Premier League so all eyes will be firmly fixed on what should be an exciting end to the season!

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