The race for UEFA Champions League qualification is heating up after Tottenham Hotspur moved into pole position to finish fourth by winning at top-four rivals Aston Villa on Sunday.
Fifth-placed Spurs are now only two points behind Villa and have a match in hand.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
35 | +21 | 67 |
| 5 |
Spurs
TOT
|
34 | +13 | 60 |
| 6 |
Man Utd
MUN
|
34 | +1 | 54 |
Manchester United sit in sixth place, eight points off fourth, and with a goal difference far inferior to both Villa and Spurs.
But don't count Man Utd out yet, as they have on paper by far the best remaining fixtures of the three teams.
Remaining fixtures of top-four rivals
| MW | Aston Villa | Spurs | Man Utd |
| 29 | West Ham (A) | Fulham (A) | - |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | Wolves (H) | Luton (H) | Brentford (A) |
| 31 | Man City (A) | West Ham (A) | Chelsea (A) |
| 32 | Brentford (H) | Nott'm Forest (H) | Liverpool (H) |
| 33 | Arsenal (A) | Newcastle (A) | Bournemouth (A) |
| 34 | Bournemouth (H) | Man City (H) | Newcastle (H) |
| 35 | Chelsea (H) | Arsenal (H) | Burnley (H) |
| 36 | Brighton (A) | Liverpool (A) | Crystal Palace (A) |
| 37 | Liverpool (H) | Burnley (H) | Arsenal (H) |
| 38 | Crystal Palace (A) | Sheff Utd (A) | Brighton (A) |
| TBC | - | Chelsea (A) | Sheff Utd (H) |
| Ave. points | 44.3 | 38.2 | 36.4 |
Man Utd's remaining opponents have an average points total this season of just 36.4. This would be the equivalent of them facing a 12th-placed team in every match until the end of the campaign.
Furthermore, Man Utd only face two of the three title contenders. Whereas Villa and Spurs each play all three in Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City.
Spurs must beware tough streak
Spurs' fixtures rank the second-best, with their opponents averaging 38.2 points.
But while Spurs also have one match extra than Villa and Man Utd, they do face a tough run in which they play Newcastle United, Man City, Arsenal and Liverpool in consecutive fixtures.
Villa have hardest run
Villa have by far the toughest task when it comes to the fixture list. Their opponents average 44.3 points won this season, which is the equivalent of facing a seventh-placed side in every remaining match.
All three teams have five home matches left, and are all playing away on the final day.
Might fifth place be enough?
Two leagues in Europe this season will be rewarded with an extra place in the revamped 2024/25 UEFA Champions League (UCL) based on the record of their clubs in all of UEFA’s competitions this campaign.
That means in the case of the Premier League, as well as the top four-placed teams, the club finishing fifth could go straight into the UEFA Champions League. You can read more below.
