Why Bournemouth and Brighton Want Villa to Win Europa League

Aston Villa can trigger a sixth Champions League place for the Premier League by winning the Europa League — but only if they also finish fifth in the league. That combination would convert one of the league’s Europa League slots into an extra Champions League berth, giving the team in sixth a route into Europe’s top competition.

Why it matters to Bournemouth and Brighton

Bournemouth sit sixth and Brighton seventh. If Villa beat Freiburg in the Europa League final and then end the Premier League season in fifth, the European places would shift so that sixth place would qualify for the Champions League. Bournemouth would therefore benefit directly from a Villa victory in Europe. If Villa lose the Europa League or end up in the top four, only the top five in the Premier League will qualify for the Champions League as usual — meaning sixth place would not reach the Champions League.

Context on Liverpool and the final day

Liverpool are three points ahead of Bournemouth and have a superior goal difference heading into the final day, so they are strongly positioned to finish fifth if results go their way.

Current European permutations (summary)

8. Chelsea — Conference League

4. Liverpool — Champions League

5. Aston Villa — Champions League (via fifth-place finish plus Europa League winners)

8. Chelsea — Conference League

Additional note: If Crystal Palace win the Europa Conference League, they would earn a Europa League place, meaning the Premier League could have up to nine teams competing in European competitions next season.

Key final-day permutations

• Aston Villa: They will drop to fifth if they lose at Manchester City and Liverpool beat Brentford. If Villa finish fifth and have won the Europa League, that opens the extra Champions League place.
• Bournemouth: They will finish fifth only if they beat Nottingham Forest and overcome a six-goal swing in goal difference while Liverpool lose to Brentford. A single point on the final day would confirm sixth place for Bournemouth.
• Brighton: They will finish sixth if they beat Manchester United and Bournemouth lose to Nottingham Forest.
• Chelsea: Their highest possible finish is seventh; they can reach it by bettering Brighton’s final-day result.
• Brentford: They can finish seventh if they beat Liverpool and Chelsea and Brighton fail to win.
• Sunderland: They will finish seventh if they beat Chelsea, Brighton lose, and Brentford do not win.

Because Sunderland face Chelsea, Newcastle, Everton and Fulham are no longer in contention for European places — their maximum possible totals would leave them short of eighth.

Bottom line

Bournemouth and Brighton have a direct interest in Aston Villa beating Freiburg: a Villa Europa League win combined with a fifth-place finish would elevate the Premier League’s European allocation and could hand Bournemouth a Champions League spot. Otherwise, only the top five will qualify for the Champions League under the current scenarios.