Liverpool are battling with a number of clubs to achieve a top four finish in the Premier League.
The Reds will be desperate to secure Champions League football for next season by finishing in the top four of the Premier League. However, it is certainly not a formality for Liverpool.
Jurgen Klopp’s side go into the international break in sixth place in the Premier League table. Liverpool are seven points adrift of fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur and have two games in hand.
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As well as Liverpool, the likes of Newcastle United, Brighton, Brentford, Fulham and Chelsea will all have ambitions of finishing in the top four. But even if the Reds do get fourth spot, there is no guarantee they will still play in the Champions League next season.
There is a situation which means that, under certain circumstances, the team that finishes fourth could still miss out on Champions League football. Rules set out by UEFA make it so that only five clubs from England can compete in Europe’s more prestigious cup competition at one time.
Arsenal and Manchester City occupy the top two places and are near certain to be in the competition next season. But there are still question marks around the other spots.
Manchester United are currently in third place, while Tottenham are in fourth. And should the Old Trafford club drop out of the top four in place of Liverpool, then there is a situation that could mean the Reds miss out.
If Man United drop out of the top four but win the Europa League, then they would secure a spot in the Champions League that way. But this is where Chelsea enter the picture.
If the Stamford Bridge club win the Champions League, then they would also book a place in next season’s competition. So what about Liverpool?
Should both Man United and Chelsea win Europe’s leading two cup competitions but fail to finish in the top four - and if Liverpool finish fourth behind Arsenal, City and someone else - then the Reds would miss out on Champions League football next season, and drop down to the Europa League instead.
It’s an unlikely scenario given the current Premier League standings, but one that has an outside chance of happening.
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