This week, the output of three Italian teams of the Champions League gave the Premier League the upper hand in the race for an extra place for next season's competition.
According to the rules for the extensive 36-team edition, two countries are able to secure bonus places based on their coefficient points in UEFA competitions. Last year Italy and Germany were the beneficiaries, but Serie A parties struggled this term.
Bologna took that bonus in fifth place, but was unable to get it in the competition phase. AC Milan followed them on Tuesday after a narrow total defeat against Feyenoord, with Atalanta stunned by Club Brugge, while Juventus lost its own play-off against PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday.
That means that the exit of Manchester City by Real Madrid is not as painful for the Premier League as it could be. There are three more English parties in the round of 16, but Inter Milan are the only remaining representatives of Italy.
As reported by ESPN, the Premier League takes first place after Wednesday's matches with a score of 20,892 – the total number of coefficient points shared by the number of teams in Europe from that country. That will not change after Thursday's play-off matches, with Manchester United and Tottenham (Europa League) and Chelsea (Conference League) that will continue directly to the round of 16 thanks to the results of their competition phase.
Spain is second with a score of 18,535. They also have six of their seven teams that are still alive, with Girona who stopped from Europe Leagie, but are still in danger in the play-offs on Thursday.
Real Sociedad gives a 2-1 lead because they welcome FC Midtjylland in Anoeta, leaving them in an affordable position. Real Betis also looks good to make progress in the Conference League after a 3-0 win over the first leg for Ghent.
Italy is third despite their midweek misery and scored 17,812. They have guaranteed one team in every competition – Inter in the Champions League, Lazio in the Europa League and Fiorentina in the Conference League – while Roma can join the round of 16 if they can overcome Porto themselves play -off.
Porto is one of the three parties that remain from Portugal's Primeira Liga (16,050) of an original five, in which sportingly loses their Champions League play-off against Borussia Dortmund and Braga who fall from the Europa League. Benfica is still alive in the Champions League after scraping Monaco in their own play-off, while Vitoria is in the Conference League round of 16.
Germany (16,046) and France (14,857) are the following, although both have already lost various teams of the European competition. Belgium (14,250) and the Netherlands (14,250) are a little further back, but both still have five teams that will pass when we take the action on Thursday.
That figure for Belgium probably seems to be falling, where Ghent is confronted with a tough fight against betis. Union Saint-Gilloise and other attaches both lost their first legs in the Europa League, but Club Brugge and Cercle Brugge are in the last 16 in the Champions League and Conference League respectively.
The Netherlands, on the other hand, looks very healthy. Ajax, AZ and Twente all keep to the leg pipes in the Europa League, with Feyenoord and PSV Eindhoven both in the Champions League round of 16, more than the absence of the failure of go to go to go to go to go to to to Go to go to go to go to go to bead. Conference League.
The Premier League still holds the upper hand, and this is good news for the handful of party that still proposes a top five finish. Only six points separate Nottingham Forest in the third and Newcastle in the seventh, while we cannot exclude Fulham, Aston Villa and Brighton with a third of the remaining season.
Last but not least, it is still possible for no fewer than seven Premier League teams to participate in the Champions League of next season. That would require the coefficient performance of English clubs to earn fifth place, and then for teams who become sixth or lower to win the Champions League and Europa League – with Villa currently ninth, and united and traces in the bottom half, It is unlikely but not impossible.
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