Manchester City are on course to win their first Champions League title… but can fifth place qualify next season if Pep Guardiola’s side wins the competition after they were recently crowned Premier League winners?
- Manchester City are on course to win the Champions League for the first time
- City have already qualified for the competition after winning the league title
- Manchester United and Liverpool remain in the race for the final top four spot
Manchester City are in contention to win the Champions League for the first time in their history.
Pep Guardiola’s side defeated Real Madrid 5-1 on aggregate in the last four and will face Serie A side Inter Milan in the final.
Following Arsenal’s defeat to Nottingham Forest last weekend, City qualified were crowned champions for the third season in a row.
Their points tally in the league means they will be playing in the Champions League next season even if they fail to win the competition.
If the Manchester side win Europe’s biggest club competition, will the side that finishes fifth qualify for the Champions League? Mail Sport provides the answers below.
Manchester City are on course to win the Champions League for the first time in their history
Pep Guardiola’s City side will face Inter in the final after they defeated rivals AC Milan
Does fifth place qualify for the Champions League if Man City win it?
As stated, City will play in the competition next season regardless if they fail to beat Inter.
With Manchester United and Liverpool going head-to-head for the final top-four spot, unfortunately for both clubs, whoever finishes fifth will not earn a place in next season’s competition if City win the Champions League.
While that is the case, the Red Devils can secure their place in the competition next season with at least a point against Chelsea this evening.
City will qualify for the 2023/24 competition as the current holders, and their position will not be passed down.
Instead, the spot is transferred to the winner of the highest-ranked national league in the UEFA coefficient without an automatic group-stage qualifying spot.
Traditionally, this would be the country ranked 11th that would be placed directly in the group stage rather than having to qualify.
Currently, Serbia occupies 11th place in the table. However, the champions of the Serbian top division are already guaranteed a place. This is because Russia is ranked 10th. The nation’s clubs remain banned from European competitions following the invasion of Ukraine.
Therefore, the champions of the 12th-ranked country will get a bye if City win the Champions League. As of right now, Ukraine occupies the current spot. Shakhtar Donetsk sit top of the Ukrainian Premier League, five points ahead of Dnipro, with four games remaining.
Liverpool are in contention for a place in the top four and are three points behind Manchester United
However, should United pick up at least a point against Chelsea tonight, they will qualify for next season’s competition
Can five teams from the Premier League play in the Champions League?
There are rules which allow five teams from England to play in the same Champions League season.
The only way this could happen is if an English club won the Champions League or Europa League this season but failed to finish in the top four of the Premier League.
With City winning the league this season, these rules won’t come into play ahead of next season’s competition.
This season’s final is set to take place at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul in June
When is the Champions League final?
Manchester City will go head-to-head with Inter Milan on Saturday, June 10, with kick off at 8pm.
The clash between the two sides is set to take place at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul.
Inter have won the competition three times in their history, while City have never won the Champions League.
