Liverpool find themselves in an unfamiliar position in the Jurgen Klopp era as they go into their final 10 Premier League matches the same number points behind the Champions League places.
The Reds found themselves in a similar position in 2020/2021, in eighth with 43 points and 10 matches left to play, but at that time were only four points shy of Chelsea in fourth place.
A 10-game unbeaten run, with a glorious Alisson Becker winning goal, saw Liverpool surge up to third place at the end of that campaign but a repeat this time round seems to be unlikely.
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However even if Liverpool do pull that off beating the likes of Manchester United and Newcastle United to fourth sport they may not even get into the Champions League.
If Erik Ten Haag’s side win the Europa League and Chelsea win the Champions League, with both finishing outside the top four, it would mean fourth place would no longer get into Europe’s elite competition but instead into the Europa League.
Due to Liverpool’s inconsistencies though a place in the second- or third-rate European competition is looking more possible for Klopp’s men at the moment.
What would finishing in the three places just outside the top four actually mean for Liverpool?
As it stands fifth spot would see Liverpool go into the Europa League group stages qualifying for the competition for the first time since 2016.
If Liverpool finish in sixth place they would have to rely on Manchester United or Manchester City to win the FA Cup so that place gets them into the Europa League group stages, as well as the Red Devils or City also remaining in the top four.
That is because there is at least one side in the FA Cup who could go onto win it and not be in the top seven.
Sheffield United, who are competing for promotion to the Premier League, or Brighton (should they also finish outside the top six) could win the competition which would mean that sixth place would put Liverpool into the Europa Conference League.
Seventh position used to be a Europa League qualifying place if the two teams who had won the domestic trophies were already in Europe but that has been different since 2021/22 due to UEFA reforming their European competitions.
So, if Liverpool were to finish in that position, they would go into the Europa Conference League.
That is without a major collapse from Manchester United as they won the League Cup and the winners of that competition are rewarded with a Conference League place if not already in a European league place.
Things can get really interesting though as there’s a possibility that Liverpool miss out on Europe even if they finish seventh both if Chelsea and Manchester United win their respective European tournaments while both finishing outside the top four, the Conference League position would go to sixth.
If West Ham manage to win the UEFA Conference League, that would gain them automatic entry into the Europa League, although that would have no bearing on the top seven as England would then just have three representatives in UEFA's second tier competition.
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