Tottenham handed potential Champions League blow after European setback
Teams in the Premier League may get an additional Champions League qualifying spot for the redesigned tournament the following year. But if things don’t work out as planned, they could have to deal with the fallout.
Liverpool’s 5-1 victory against Sparta Prague on the road in their Europa League Round of 16 match left them the only winners. But Thursday night was a rather bad night for English teams in Europe, made worse by losses for West Ham United and Brighton & Hove Albion.
Following West Ham’s Group Stage double against the Bundesliga team, SC Freiburg overcame the Hammers in their first-leg match thanks to a goal from Michael Gregoritsch in the 81st minute. Roberto De Zerbi, meanwhile, had a terrible time making his way back to Italy as the Seagulls lost 4-0 to Roma, the Europa League champions from the previous season, at the Stadio Olimpico.
In a format shift from the UEFA tournament, the Champions League will include group stages with 36 participants instead of 32 starting in the 2024–2025 season. On the one hand, this may provide England an additional qualifying berth for the premier competition, with the top-ranked nations in the governing body’s coefficient rating receiving two of the additional seats.
The Champions League, Europa League, and Europa Conference League results from each of the three UEFA tournaments will decide this. Spain and England were scheduled to gain the additional qualifying spots ahead of Italy and Germany before to the Round of 16 first-leg matches, but Friday’s revised rankings may cause that to alter.
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Darwin Nunez, who scored a well-executed brace, was the standout goal scorer for Liverpool as they outscored Sparta Prague five goals. Resurgent Mohamed Salah had his goal controversially disallowed by VAR for a little offside, which would have concluded the score; nonetheless, Dominik Szoboszlai’s stoppage-time attempt, after goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Luis Diaz, completed the thrashing.
Brighton began play alongside the Reds, but the seasoned Italians easily overcame them, turning their ambition of playing in Europe into a nightmare. Romelu Lukaku, a striker for Chelsea on loan, scored a goal, while Paulo Dybala, a striker widely anticipated to join London teams in the summer, was also among the goal scorers.
At the mighty Ajax of the Eredivisie, Aston Villa managed a draw away in Amsterdam. Now, five points ahead of Tottenham Hotspur in fifth place in the Premier League, Unai Emery’s team is in the last Champions League slot.
After Ezri Konsa was sent off and Tristan Gooijer followed just three minutes later in the closing minutes, both teams were down to ten men before the end. On Thursday, March 14, the second legs of the Europa League and Europa Conference League matches will conclude.
As the league approaches the business end, teams like Tottenham, Manchester United, and Newcastle United are hovering around the European spots in the hopes of qualifying for the Champions League. Three Premier League teams might suffer if English clubs do poorly in the coefficient rankings.
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