Fu(k the conference league, rather we go into next season only focusing on domestic competitions than having that drain resources.
All cheer for the English teams left in Europe.
Newcastle United may be out - but the Champions League knockout stages could still have huge ramifications for the Magpies in the race for Europe.
The Champions League is expanding to 36 teams next season with an additional place in the group stages to be awarded to each of the two countries whose clubs collectively perform the best in UEFA competitions in 2023-24. For context, the Premier League would have been given one of these spots in four of the previous five campaigns.
When it comes to this season's coefficient points, Italy and Germany are currently leading the way with England just behind in third place after Newcastle and Manchester United were eliminated in the groups back in December. Both Serie A and the Bundesliga have three teams left in the competition compared to the Premier League's two, but an Italian or German side will be knocked out after Bayern Munich were drawn with Lazio in the last 16.
Arsenal and Manchester City will fancy their chances of progressing to the quarter-finals, after being paired with Porto and FC Copenhagen respectively, while the Premier League still have all three of their representatives in the last 16 of the Europa League after Liverpool, West Ham and Brighton made it out of the group stages. Aston Villa, meanwhile, are the favourites to win the Europa Conference League.
The landscape will only become clearer in the final weeks of the campaign when the geographical spread of the clubs left in the latter stages of UEFA's three competitions is known, but there remains a chance the Premier League could yet have eight teams in Europe if English sides continue to progress. That would mean the top five would qualify for the Champions League; the side that finishes in sixth would play in the Europa League alongside the FA Cup winners; and the Carabao Cup winners would earn a place in the Europa Conference League. However, if the cup winners qualify for Europe through their league finish, as Manchester United and Manchester City did last season, the places would then transfer to the league. That means that even finishing in eighth could earn a shot at the Europa Conference League.
Fu(k the conference league, rather we go into next season only focusing on domestic competitions than having that drain resources.
I'd take any position and an FA cup win.
If only for the 3 month long summer pi$$ up on Tyneside