The Premier League is in danger of missing out on the highly coveted extra spot for next season's UEFA Champions League following Arsenal and Manchester City's eliminations on Wednesday night.
Check Out: Official: UCL Semi-Final Fixtures Confirmed
With Europe's premier club competition being expanded to 36 teams next season, an opportunity has presented itself to the continent's leagues to attain one more spot for the tournament next season.
Two of the top divisions in Europe will be awarded those positions based on which ones have the best coefficient.
The league with the best coefficient score is contingent on how each nation's representatives fare in the various European club competitions this season, and after the Citizens and the Gunners were dumped out of the Champions League earlier this week, Serie A and the Bundesliga are now in prime position to attain those highly sought-after spots.
The Premier League now only has representatives in the UEFA Europa League, Liverpool and West Ham United, and in the UEFA Europa Conference League with Aston Villa, all of whom are playing crunch second-leg fixtures on Thursday night.
With the Reds facing a 3-0 deficit in their quarter-final clash against Atalanta, the Hammers trailing newly crowned Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen by two goals, and Villa needing to maintain their 2-1 lead against Lille in their tie, all these teams need to progress in their respective competitions if England are to have any hope of getting a fifth place in next season's revamped Champions League.
Check Out: Iconic Football Rivalries: Wenger vs Ferguson
As per UEFA's current coefficient ranking, according to ESPN, Italy is currently top with 18.428 points, and behind them are Germany with 17.642 points, with England in third position with 16.875 points.
You must be SIGNED IN to read and post comments.
WATCH VIDEO:
