Heading into the final matches of the Premier League season tonight, the lucrative final Champions League place is very much still up for grabs with three teams still in the running for a place in Europe’s elite club competition.
Currently sitting in fourth position is Manchester City on 65 points, two ahead of cross-town rivals Manchester United and with West Ham a point behind the Red Devils.
Heading into their visit against Swansea City for the last game of the season, the Sky Blues know that a single point will be enough to see them earn a place in the Champions League next season.
Failure to finish in the top four come the final whistle on Sunday will be a major disappointment for City, who recently exited the tournament in the semi-finals at the hands of Real Madrid, after their best ever run in the competition as the club still looks to establish themselves as one of the best teams in Europe.
With Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola set to join in the summer the expectations will be higher than ever next season, so battling away in the Europa League is simply not good enough for a club of this stature.
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The Red Devils missed a big chance to move into fourth spot on Wednesday morning as they were defeated by West Ham 3-2, in a game where the Hammers farewelled the Boleyn Ground as they prepare for a move to the Olympic Stadium next season.
The red half of Manchester still remains the most likely of the pair to challenge City for the final Champions League position, although they must defeat Bournemouth at home on Sunday and hope their neighbours fail to bring any points back from South Wales.
If the results do not fall the way of Louis van Gaal and his players this weekend, the pressure is sure to rise on the manager whose position has come under constant fire in the media.
West Ham need something of a minor miracle if they are to feature in the Champions League in 2016-17. A win for the Hammers and a loss for City would see the teams sit level on points, although the Citizens have a greater goal difference of +15.
With a lot needing to go right for Slaven Bilic, it seems that they would be more content with securing their spot in the Europa League for next season with a finish in the top six.
Despite being in contention for Europe’s major competition, there is still a possibility that both the Hammers and Red Devils fall out of European competition completely, although Man United could qualify for Europa themselves with victory in the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace.
Both seventh placed Southampton and eighth placed Liverpool have the opportunity to knock United and West Ham out of the European places if they manage to win their final games, with the Reds having drawn a make-up game against Chelsea last Thursday morning.
If Southampton were to win their final match of the season against Crystal Palace at home and the Irons fail to win or draw, they would overtake them by a single point. The Saints can also overtake United with a victory over Palace and a Red Devils loss to 16th placed Bournemouth.
In what is sure to be yet another dramatic final day of the Premier League season, a number of results could quite easily make-or-break a side’s season not only this year, but also the next.
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