How many points will Premier League clubs need for Champions League qualification?

Premier League clubs will need to finish in the top five in order to qualify for next year’s Champions League, but how many points will that require?

With just five games remaining for most sides, the race for Champions League qualification is set to go down to the wire this season.

Liverpool have already booked their place in the competition next year and Arsenal only need four points from their remaining five fixtures to guarantee their spot in the top five.

Realistically, Manchester City, Nottingham Forest, Newcastle, Chelsea, and Aston Villa are vying for the last three spots.

Pep Guardiola’s side have been way off the pace this season in regards to their title defence, but they have stepped things up in recent weeks with Champions League qualification on the line.

Following their latest win against Aston Villa, they have now won four of their last five matches and look to be in a strong spot to finish in the top five.

Of the sides competing to finish in the top five, Chelsea have accumulated the fewest amount of points since the turn of the year.

Enzo Maresca’s side have only taken 22 points from their last 14 league matches, although they did get back to winning ways in their latest game against Fulham.

After being tipped to struggle by most pundits at the start of the season, Nottingham Forest have been this year’s surprise package.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have punched above their weight all season and they stand a great chance of finishing in the top five, especially when you consider their favourable run of fixtures.

There hasn’t been much to separate Newcastle and Aston Villa this season either, who have both been in excellent form of late, albeit they each lost their latest game.

To illuminate just how close it’s going to be come the end of the season, we’ve worked out how many points it will realistically take to finish in the top five.

– Newcastle currently sit fifth in the Premier League and based on their point per game (PPG) trajectory, they are projected to end the season with 68 points.

– Funnily enough, that was the exact number of points that Aston Villa finished with last season to confirm their spot in the Champions League by finishing fourth.

– Based on PPG projections, Nottingham Forest are currently projected to finish the campaign with 69 points, which would be enough for Champions League qualification in this instance.

– Like Newcastle, Manchester City are also on course to end the season with 68 points, although their superior goal difference puts the reigning champions ahead at this stage.

– Purely based on their PPG projections, Chelsea are set to finish two points shy of the top five and Aston Villa are projected to finish three points adrift of a Champions League spot.

– It’s also worth considering each side’s remaining fixtures between now and the end of the season. Of the sides batting for the top five, Chelsea have the toughest run of fixtures and Manchester City have the most straightforward path.

– In all likelihood, it will take 68 points to guarantee a spot in the top five this season. Although, according to Opta, as few as 66 points could even be enough to get over the line and qualify for the Champions League.

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