Top 4 Trophy Run-in.

[Bumble]

No there's a new rule, if a team wins the CL and is in the top 4 only 4 teams go in, likewise if a team win the Europa and are in the top 4, only 4 teams will go into next seasons CL.

So if we finish 4th and Chelsea win the Europa then 5 teams in the CL like MO said.

I think we will finish 4th, 3 wins definitely will be enough although that would mean winning of 2 of our 3 remaining away games, so no guarantee on that happening. I think 7 points probably be enough, as none of us, Chelsea or United are particularly consistent.

As long as Mustafi doesn't play we have a chance.

[Özim]

So if we finish 4th and Chelsea win the Europa then 5 teams in the CL like MO said.

I think we will finish 4th, 3 wins definitely will be enough although that would mean winning of 2 of our 3 remaining away games, so no guarantee on that happening. I think 7 points probably be enough, as none of us, Chelsea or United are particularly consistent.

As long as Mustafi doesn't play we have a chance.

No if an English club wins the CL or the Europa and is also in the top 4, only 4 teams will be in the CL, that's the new rule. If we finish 4th and Chelsea win the Europa or Spurs or Liverpool are in the top 4 and we finish 4th and they win the CL we won't be in the CL.

Which is why winning the Europa should be the priority as that's the only way we can guarantee qualifying in the CL if we're 4th.

[Globalgunner]

Like Ozim said the only way to guarantee CL next season is to either win the EL or come 3rd. Even then if we come 3rd and Chelsea win the EL and Spuds win CL. We will drop to the EL. Only 4 get to play CL from what I heard.

[Marc Overmars]

If we finish 4th and Spurs and Chelsea finish outside the top 4 but win the CL and EL, then yes we would miss out in that scenario because 6 teams from the same league cannot enter the CL. That is the only way 4th could miss out.

5 teams can definitely still enter the CL, providing there is only 1 European competition winner that didn't finish in the top 4.

[Globalgunner]

Hope yr right. Either way, Our best bet is to win the EL

[Marc Overmars]

We should be going for both at this stage given we have a realistic chance of achieving both goals.

If we're cocking up these final league games I don't think it would exactly put us in a good frame of mind for the Valenica tie.

[SMatthews]

If we finish 4th and Spurs and Chelsea finish outside the top 4 but win the CL and EL, then yes we would miss out in that scenario because 6 teams from the same league cannot enter the CL. That is the only way 4th could miss out.

5 teams can definitely still enter the CL, providing there is only 1 European competition winner that didn't finish in the top 4.

That’s it - and as you say, it makes sense to go for both at this point, especially when it’s in our own hands.

We were in a decent run of form before we went away and messed up Rennes. Then we came back and beat Utd. Hard to determine what affects the players state of mind in teams below the top two.

[Özim]

If we finish 4th and Spurs and Chelsea finish outside the top 4 but win the CL and EL, then yes we would miss out in that scenario because 6 teams from the same league cannot enter the CL. That is the only way 4th could miss out.

5 teams can definitely still enter the CL, providing there is only 1 European competition winner that didn't finish in the top 4.

Rules are outlined here:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/47806720

What happens if an English team win the Champions League?

Tottenham and Liverpool have both reached the Champions League semi-finals.

If one of those sides become European champions and finish in the top four of the Premier League, then only four English teams go into next season's Champions League. The 'extra' group stage spot would go to the Austrian champions, who otherwise need to go through qualifying as Uefa's 11th-ranked league.

However, if an English team win the Champions League and finish outside the Premier League's top four - a possibility for Spurs - then five English teams will go into next season's group stage.

There is no Champions League spot for the beaten finalists. Liverpool would not have qualified this year had they not finished in the 2017-18 top four.
Uefa changed the rules for qualification last year - starting with this season's tournaments.

In 2012 Tottenham finished fourth but missed out because Chelsea won the Champions League - but Spurs would have qualified under the current rules.
Until 2005, Champions League winners did not qualify automatically - a rule which was changed when Liverpool won the tournament but did not finish in the top four.

What happens if an English team win the Europa League?

Arsenal and Chelsea are both in the Europa League semi-finals and are among the favourites to lift the trophy in Baku. If either of them win the tournament, they will qualify for next season's Champions League group stages.

If the winners finish outside the top four in the Premier League, it will mean five English teams will be in the Champions League.

However if they do finish in the top four, then England will not get an extra spot. The team who finish third in the fifth-ranked league - France - will go into the Champions League group stages instead of the qualifiers.

There is no Champions League spot for the beaten finalists.


What happens if English teams win the Champions League AND Europa League?

There can be a maximum of five teams from one country in the Champions League. So that causes a bit of a mess if English teams win both European competitions - and neither finishes in the top four.

Chelsea and Arsenal are into the Europa League semi-finals, with Tottenham and Liverpool in the last four of the Champions League.

If English teams were to win both tournaments, the Premier League's fourth-placed team would not qualify for the Champions League and instead would drop into the Europa League group stages.

There would only be two Europa League spots - for the team who finish fourth in the Premier League and the FA Cup winners (or the seventh-placed Premier League team if City win the cup).

All the English teams left in Europe are guaranteed a top-six Premier League finish. The situation would be different if an English team won both competitions and finished outside the European places entirely.

If a season ever occurred when English teams won the Champions League and Europa League - and neither of them qualified for Europe through the league - there would be NINE Premier League teams in Europe (five in the Champions League and four in the Europa League).
If one of them qualified for Europe via the league and the other did not, then there would be five teams in the Champions League and three in the Europa League.

[Marc Overmars]

That confirms what I’m saying doesn’t it? 5 teams can still enter if only 1 of the European champions has missed out on the top 4.

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

If we finish 4th and Spurs and Chelsea finish outside the top 4 but win the CL and EL, then yes we would miss out in that scenario because 6 teams from the same league cannot enter the CL. That is the only way 4th could miss out.

5 teams can definitely still enter the CL, providing there is only 1 European competition winner that didn't finish in the top 4.

Yeah this was pretty much right. 5 teams can enter.

The worst case scenario is Spuds win the EL (and don't finish top 4), Chelski wins the EL ( and don't finish top 4) and we finish 4th- we would then have to deal with Europa like what happened to the spuds some years back.

So only 3rd or winning the EL would 100% guarrantee CL action. BTW it seems like finishing 3rd in that horror scenario might still mean we'll be in the qualification stages of the CL or am I wrong about that?