The knockout rounds of all three European competitions have begun. How is the battle for the Champions League play-off spots going?
The two best performing countries in the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League this season will receive European Performance Places (EPS) from UEFA.
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It means fifth place in the Premier League could go from a Europa League spot to Champions League qualification – something Newcastle United benefited from last season.
But will an English club be rewarded with something like this again?
How do European show attractions work?
To determine which countries are successful, UEFA considers clubs’ overall performance in the Champions League, Europa League and divisional leagues.
It works out the average by dividing the total coefficient score by the number of clubs each league has in European competitions.
Let’s say the total score in the Premier League is 185. Divide that by 9 clubs and you get an average of 20.56.
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The top two leagues in the standings will receive additional Champions League spots.
Regardless of the match, each win is worth two coefficient points and a draw is worth one coefficient point.
The key difference is the bonus points awarded based on a club’s position in the league stages and knockout rounds, as these are much higher in the Champions League.
For example, teams ranked 25th to 36th in the Champions League will receive 6 bonus points even if they are eliminated.
However, the team at the top of the divisional league – Strasbourg – only managed four points.
Bonus points for passing the knockout round are also weighted. The Champions League is 1.5, the Europa League is 1, and the divisional leagues are 0.5.
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This means that one of Europe’s top leagues will almost certainly receive extra places each season as they have more clubs in the Champions League.
What does the table look like?
England
England is the only country where all teams are still active – nine in total.
It will be very difficult for England to get out of this position.
But nothing should be completely taken for granted as England looked destined for an EPS spot in 2023-24 but suffered a poor result in the quarter-finals.
England can strengthen their position with a play-off finish. It has three active teams, while only Italy (five) among Europe’s major leagues has more.
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Newcastle United advance to the last 16 of the Champions League.
Nottingham Forest defeated Fenerbahce 3-0, while Crystal Palace drew 1-1 away from Mostar.
Looking at England’s lead, Portugal is actually 13 games behind, and Germany is 16 games behind. Then there were 19 wins for Italian teams and 22 for Spanish clubs.
Germany
The Bundesliga has five active teams and is tied with England for the EPS spot.
However, the door remains open after Dortmund gave up their first-leg advantage to Atalanta.
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Leverkusen advanced in the Champions League knockout play-offs, while Stuttgart dominated the Europa League.
Germany’s chances could be hampered if Leverkusen draws with Bayern Munich in the last 16.
Spain
Spain has eight European teams and they need to have a strong season.
Villarreal and Athletic Bilbao’s chances were severely damaged as they were eliminated from the Champions League.
While Spain has six teams still active, each win is worth less than its second-placed opponent’s coefficient.
La Liga does have three teams competing in February: Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and Celta Vigo.
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Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid qualify in the Champions League. In the Europa League, Celta Vigo defeated PAOK 2-1 away from home.
Italy
Serie A has had a slow start but despite losing to Napoli in the Champions League in January, it remains a title contender.
Since Italy has five teams competing in February, it has the potential to improve its score significantly.
However, Inter Milan lost to Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League and Juventus lost to Galatasaray.
Atalanta found a way past Borussia Dortmund, while Bologna and Fiorentina took the lead heading into Thursday’s games.
But for Italy, the coming days will be difficult.
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Portugal
Portugal seemed to have no real chance of finishing in the top two after Santa Clara was knocked out of the divisional league in qualifying.
Still, it made it to the knockout rounds, with four teams active, but all teams would need to go deep to have a chance.
But Benfica’s exit from the Champions League robbed them of meaning in February, and the rest of the season was difficult.
France
It’s been a disappointing season for the Ligue 1 side, starting with Nice failing to qualify for the Champions League.
Nice didn’t fare much better as they were subsequently eliminated from the Europa League.
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PSG knocked out Monaco, further denting France’s chances, while Lille also lost at home to Red Star in the Europa League.
Poland
Many will be surprised to learn that Poland tops the rankings and was once in the top two. But Poland won’t be here for long.
All four of the country’s teams compete in the divisional league, and more than a third of the points are earned in the qualifying rounds.
At least the remaining trio could be on opposite ends of the divisional ladder.
Greece
With Olympiacos eliminated from the Champions League, Greece is left with just three teams, a long way from the top two.
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All remaining teams will play in February to improve their scores, but so far no team has emerged victorious.
Cyprus
Another surprising name on the list, boosted by Paphos reaching the Champions League for the first time.
But with only two teams still active and both in the divisional league, Cyprus is not a contender.
Denmark
With only Midtjylland remaining, Denmark is now mathematically out of the running.
What are the key dates in the future?
Last season, the Premier League play-off spots were determined on April 8.
English clubs have performed so well in top-flight competitions this season that the competition could be brought forward this time around.
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Here are some key dates from the diary:
February 24-26: All three matches will feature knockout second legs, which will see a further 24 teams eliminated.
February 27: A draw will be held for each match, with the top eight teams advancing to the knockout rounds. This is very important as it creates the full path and determines the maximum coefficient score for each alliance. It lists possible meetings between clubs from the same league or rival leagues to secure additional Champions League places.
March 17-19: Each match will be played in the second leg of the round of 16, with the other 24 teams eliminated.
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April 14-16: The quarterfinals ended in a draw. Additional spots may be confirmed.
May 5-7: The second leg of the semi-finals will be played and the final will be held at the end of the month.
How is the race for a Premier League Champions League spot going?
Premier League leader Arsenal (61 points) is five points ahead of Manchester City (56 points), with Aston Villa (51 points) in third place.
Manchester United (48) are currently in fourth place, while the extra Champions League spot is currently going to fifth-placed Chelsea (45). Liverpool are sixth (45).
This article is the latest article from BBC Sports If you have any questions, you can ask me team.
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