As the race for Europe intensifies during The Run In, here is everything you need to know as Premier League clubs try to qualify for European competition for next season.

Manchester City overtook Chelsea and Newcastle United in to fourth place after their 5-2 comeback win against Crystal Palace in the first match of Matchweek 32.

However, both Chelsea and Newcastle – who have two matches in hand – can overtake Man City if they win their respective matches in hand against Ipswich Town and Manchester United on Sunday. 

Pep Guardiola‘s side are now on 55 points, two points ahead of Chelsea and Newcastle.

Elsewhere on Saturday, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest both enduring contrasting results which had significant implications in the race for Europe.

Forest lost 1-0 at home to Everton after conceding in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time while Villa eased past Southampton 3-0 at St Mary’s Stadium.

Those results mean that Villa are now only three points behind third-placed Forest. 

Forest’s defeat could also see Newcastle end Matchweek 32 as high as third if they win their matches in hand. 

And Brighton & Hove Albion lost more ground in the race for Europe after drawing 2-2 at home to Leicester City.

Fulham moved up the Premier League table last weekend to boost their hopes of playing in Europe next season.

Fulham climbed from ninth to eighth by beating Liverpool 3-2 at Craven Cottage. It was only the leaders’ second league defeat this season, having been unbeaten since losing at home to Forest in September.

Before we explain exactly how clubs qualify for Europe, here is how the Premier League table stands.  

Has anyone qualified already?

Yes, Newcastle have secured a UEFA Conference League spot for next season because they won the EFL Cup. But they could yet qualify instead for either the Champions League or Europa League. More on that below.

How do teams qualify for European competition?
UEFA Champions League

The top five teams in the Premier League will qualify for next season’s Champions League.

Thanks to the performances of Premier League clubs in all of UEFA’s competitions this season, England is now guaranteed a top-two spot in UEFA’s association club coefficient rankings, which earns a “European Performance Spot” (EPS).

Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Real Madrid secured that top-two finish.

It means the Premier League could potentially have as many as SEVEN clubs in next season’s Champions League – the top five teams in the league, plus the Champions League winners and the Europa League winners if they finish outside the top five.

UEFA Europa League

English football receives two Europa League places.

One is awarded to the fifth-placed finisher in the Premier League (or the sixth-placed team in the case of England receiving an additional fifth Champions League spot). The other Europa League place goes to the winners of the FA Cup.

UEFA Conference League

The winners of the EFL Cup qualify for the Conference League. This season, Newcastle secured a European spot when they triumphed over Liverpool at Wembley, ending their 56-year wait for a trophy in the process.

How else can clubs make it to Europe?

So far, so simple. But things rarely play out as such.

In addition to booking European berths by virtue of domestic performances, clubs can also do so through their showings in Europe.

The winners of the Champions League and Europa League qualify for the following season’s Champions League, while the winners of the Conference League book a spot in next year’s Europa League.

Still following? Now let’s chuck a few more possible scenarios into the mix, relating to the two European places awarded to England’s domestic cup winners.

If the FA Cup winners qualify for the Champions League or the Europa League via their Premier League position, or by winning the Champions League, their (FA Cup-won) Europa League place is then transferred to the next-highest Premier League finisher not already qualified for UEFA competitions.

Likewise, if the EFL Cup winners qualify for the Champions League or Europa League via other means – their league position, or by winning the FA Cup or either of those European competitions – their Conference League place will go to the next-highest Premier League side who have not qualified for Europe.

That is what Newcastle are hoping for, to finish high enough in the Premier League to trade their Conference League spot from winning the EFL Cup this season for a place in one of the other European competitions. Here’s where things could get interesting…

FA Cup could have an impact

The remaining four sides in the FA Cup could all aid the quest for 11 teams reaching Europe.

Forest, Man City and Villa are all in the race to qualify for the Champions League via their Premier League position. If any of those clubs were to achieve that AND win the FA Cup, their reward for the latter – a Europa League place – would be passed to the next-highest team that has not already qualified for Europe.

Villa could also book their spot in next season’s Champions League by winning that competition this season.

If Palace were to lift the FA Cup, and remain outside the top five, they would take the Europa League place awarded to the winning side at Wembley.

How could 11 English teams play in Europe next season?

There is a chance that European competitions will feature 11 English clubs next season. Here is one scenario where this could happen:

– Liverpool, Arsenal, Nottingham Forest and Man City finish in the top four and qualify for the Champions League
– Newcastle finish fifth and claim England’s additional Champions League spot
– Brighton finish six and qualify for the Europa League
– Bournemouth finish seventh and take the Conference League place passed down by EFL Cup winners Newcastle
– Chelsea finish eighth and qualify for the Europa League by winning this season’s Conference League
– Aston Villa finish ninth and qualify for the Champions League by winning this season’s Champions League
– Crystal Palace finish 10th and qualify for the Europa League by winning this season’s FA Cup
– Manchester United or Tottenham Hotspur finish 11th and qualify for the Champions League by winning this season’s Europa League

Such an improbable outcome would mean SEVEN English clubs playing in next year’s Champions League, THREE in the Europa League, and ONE in the Conference League.

The Premier League plight of Man Utd and Spurs – who sat 13th and 14th respectively ahead of their 30th fixtures – means winning the Europa League is now their most likely means of retaining European football next year. They are, accordingly, two of the favourites to lift that trophy.

What are the remaining Premier League fixtures?

Here are the remaining fixtures for the teams in the race for Europe in full:

Liverpool: WHU (H); LEI (A); TOT (H); CHE (A); ARS (H); BHA (A); CRY (H)

Arsenal: IPS (A); CRY (H); BOU (H); LIV (A); NEW (H); SOU (A)

Forest: TOT (A); BRE (H); CRY (A); LEI (H); WHU (A); CHE (H)

Chelsea: IPS (H); FUL (A); EVE (H); LIV (H); NEW (A); MUN (H); NFO (A)

Man City: EVE (A); AVL (H); WOL (H); SOU (A); BOU (H); FUL (A)

Aston Villa: NEW (H); MCI (A); FUL (H); BOU (A); TOT (H); MUN (A)

Newcastle: MUN (H); CRY (H); AVL (A); IPS (H); BHA (A); CHE (H); ARS (A); EVE (H)

Fulham: BOU (A); CHE (H); SOU (A); AVL (A); EVE (H); BRE (A); MCI (H)

Brighton: BRE (A); WHU (H); NEW (H); WOL (A); LIV (H); TOT (A)

Bournemouth: FUL (H); CRY (A); MUN (H); ARS (A); AVL (H); MCI (A); LEI (H)

Crystal Palace: NEW (A); BOU (H); ARS (A); NFO (H); TOT (A); WOL (H); LIV (A)

Brentford: BHA (H); NFO (A); MUN (H); IPS (A); FUL (H); WOL (A)