by johnny crossan » Mon May 15, 2017 10:48 am
this extract from The Fail seems to imply Europa League Winners only get a guaranteed group stage CL berth if both finalists in that competition are already qualified from their league. Otherwise they would go into a qualifying round it seems.
ENGLAND
Chelsea were crowned Premier League champions after Friday night's 1-0 victory at West Bromwich Albion and the 2012 winners will return to the Champions League after a one-season absence.
Tottenham Hotspur are also guaranteed second place after Sunday's 2-1 win over Manchester United and therefore will enjoy another season in Europe's elite club competition.
Two places remain up for grabs and there are three sides who can qualify - Liverpool are in third at present with a four-point cushion to Arsenal in fifth position, while Manchester City in fourth are three points ahead.
Tottenham will also line-up in next season's Champions League after finishing second
Everything will be sorted out this week - Arsenal are at home to Sunderland and City host West Brom on Tuesday evening, both games in hand on Liverpool.
On the final day next Sunday, Liverpool are at home to Middlesbrough, City travel to Watford, and Arsenal host Everton.
Arsenal need to win both their matches and hope City and/or Liverpool slip-up if they are to maintain their 20-year streak of reaching the Champions League.
The top three sides go straight into the group stage of next season's Champions League, while the fourth-place team enters in the play-off round.
Manchester United could make it five English representatives in the competition if they beat Ajax in the UEFA Europa League final on May 24.
Jose Mourinho's team would enter at the group stage because the two Champions League finalists this season (Real Madrid and Juventus) are already assured of their place for next season.
Jose Mourinho's Manchester United will qualify if they win the Europa League on May 24
Chelsea and Tottenham are safely into next season's Champions League, but Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal are fighting it out for the two remaining spots.
SPAIN
We already know which four Spanish sides will participate in next season's Champions League.
Barcelona and Real Madrid are still fighting it out for the title - they are locked together on 87 points, but Real retain a game in hand - but both will certainly be in next season's competition.
Atletico Madrid, who were eliminated by local rivals Real in the semi-finals last week, are also in for another season, and those three will go straight into the group stage.
Lining up in August's play-off round will be Sevilla, who are assured of a fourth-placed finish in La Liga but can move no higher.
The top four in Spain are Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Sevilla
ITALY
We know that Italy's three representatives in next season's Champions League will be Juventus, Roma and Napoli. What we don't know is in which order they'll finish.
Roma's 3-1 win over Juventus on Sunday night delayed the Turin side's coronation for a sixth successive season but, with a four-point lead and just two games to play, you imagine Massimiliano Allegri's team will still do it.
Napoli have a very slim chance - they are five points behind Juve and one behind Roma.
The top two will be straight into the draw for the Champions League group stage, while the team that finishes third will have to negotiate the play-off round.
Italy have three qualifiers for the Champions League - Juventus, Roma and Napoli
GERMANY
The four clubs that will represent Germany in next season's Champions League have been determined, but we need to find out who'll be in the group stage and who'll have to go through the play-offs.
Bayern Munich were crowned champions a few weeks ago, while RB Leipzig are assured of second place with just one round of matches left to play.
However, Leipzig's qualification is in doubt - they are owned by Red Bull, who are also in charge of the Austrian champions Red Bull Salzburg.
UEFA rules state that clubs with strong links - such as the same owners - cannot be in European competition in the same season.
The governing body needs to make a decision, but if they allow only one, it would be Salzburg as they finished higher in their league. The decision will be taken next month.
If Leipzig are not allowed to compete, it would open the door for fifth-place Hertha Berlin, or even Freiburg or Cologne if they can catch them.
Also in are Borussia Dortmund and, for the first time, Hoffenheim. Currently tied on 61 points, the final day will decide which goes straight into the group stage and which has to qualify.
Bayern Munich will, as ever, be a powerhouse in next season's Champions League
Hoffenheim will grace the Champions League for the first time in their history next season
Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund and Hoffenheim are the top four in Germany
FRANCE
France's three representatives in next season's Champions League will be Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain and Nice.
The first two are still slugging it out for the title, with Monaco the strong favourites given their three-point lead and game in hand, and they and PSG will enter at the group phase.
Nice, in the competition for the first time, will start in the play-offs.
Monaco will be aiming to improve on this season's run to the Champions League semi-finals
Mario Balotelli will be back in the Champions League if he remains at Nice
Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain and Nice will represent France in next year's competition
UNITED KINGDOM AND REPUBLIC OF IRELAND
Celtic will be Scotland's sole representatives having won the Premiership by a country mile, though thanks to the country's sliding coefficient in the last decade, they have to start in the second qualifying round.
The New Saints and Linfield start in the first qualifying round for Wales and Northern Ireland respectively.
Dundalk will represent the League of Ireland and start in the second qualifying round in July.
Brendan Rodgers will try and improve on Celtic's recent poor record in European competition
THE REST OF EUROPE
Other clubs from across Europe who are assured of a group stage berth are Portuguese duo Benfica, the champions, and Porto.
Dutch champions Feyenoord enter at this stage, as do Spartak Moscow (Russian champions), Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) and Basle (Switzerland).
We await the place for the champions of Turkey, with Istanbul Basaksehir and Besiktas fighting it out, and also Belgium, where Anderlecht and Club Bruges are going for glory.
Also from Portugal, Sporting Lisbon will start their campaign in the play-off round.
Coming in at the third qualifying round are Olympiacos (Greek champions), Viitorul Constanta (Romania), Dynamo Kiev (runners-up in Ukraine), Ajax (second in Holland), Young Boys Bern (second in Switzerland) and Steaua Bucharest (second in Romania), plus a clutch of others.
Feyenoord will return to the Champions League next season after winning the Dutch title
Champions League 2017-18
START IN THE GROUP STAGE (September 12/13 onwards)
Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid (Spain); Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig (Germany); Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur (England); Benfica, Porto (Portugal); Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain (France); Spartak Moscow (Russia); Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine); Feyenoord (Holland); Basle (Switzerland)
PLUS German third-place team (either Borussia Dortmund or Hoffenheim); English third-place team (either Liverpool, Manchester City or Arsenal); Italian first and second-place teams (either Juventus, Roma or Napoli)l; Belgian champions (either Anderlecht or Club Bruges); Turkish champions (either Istanbul Basaksehir or Besiktas); UEFA Europa League winners (either Manchester United or Ajax).
START IN THE PLAY-OFF ROUND (August 15-16 and August 22-23)
Sevilla (Spain); Sporting Lisbon (Portugal)
PLUS German fourth-placed team (either Borussia Dortmund or Hoffenheim); English fourth-placed team (either Liverpool, Manchester City or Arsenal); Italian third-place team (either Juventus, Roma or Napoli)
START IN THE THIRD QUALIFYING ROUND (July 25-26 and August 1-2)
Olympiacos (Greece); Viitorul Constanta and Steaua Bucharest (Romania); Nice (France); Dynamo Kiev (Ukraine); Ajax (Holland); Young Boys Bern (Switzerland)
PLUS Czech champions and runners-up (Slavia Prague and Viktoria Plzen); Russian second place team (either CSKA Moscow or Zenit Saint Petersburg); Belgian second place team (either Anderlecht or Club Bruges); Turkish second place team (either Istanbul Basaksehir or Besiktas); Second place team in Greece (PAOK or Panathinaikos).
START IN THE SECOND QUALIFYING ROUND (July 11-12 and July 18-19)
Red Bull Salzburg (Austria); APOEL (Cyprus), BATE Borisov (Belarus); Malmo (Sweden); Rosenborg (Norway); Hapoel Be'er Sheva (Israel); Copenhagen (Denmark); Celtic (Scotland); Qarabag (Azerbaijan); Astana (Kazakhstan); Ludogorets Razgrad (Bulgaria); Maribor (Slovenia); Zilina (Slovakia); FH (Iceland); Samtredia (Georgia); IFK Mariehamn (Finland); Vardar (Macedonia); Dundalk (Republic of Ireland); Spartaks Jurmala (Latvia); Zalgiris Vilnius (Lithuania)
PLUS The champions from Croatia, Poland, Serbia, Hungary, Moldova, Bosnia, Albania, Luxembourg and Montenegro.
START IN THE FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND (June 27-28 and July 4-5)
Linfield (Northern Ireland); FCI Tallinn (Estonia); Vikingur Gota (Faroe Islands); Hibernians (Malta); The New Saints (Wales); Santa Coloma (Andorra); Trepca'89 (Kosovo)
PLUS The champions from Armenia, Gibraltar and San Marino.
WHAT ABOUT THE EUROPA LEAGUE?
Next season's Europa League competition is shaping up as well, with each of the leading nations set to have three representatives in the tournament.
As it stands, Arsenal and Everton will be two of England's representatives.
The Spanish qualifiers will be two of Villarreal, Athletic Bilbao or Real Sociedad, while Lazio and Atlanta have qualified from the Italian league.
Hertha Berlin and Freiburg are currently in the two German slots, but Cologne and Werder Bremen could still catch Freiburg.
Lyon will qualify from Ligue 1, joined by either Marseille or Bordeaux.
