Manchester City were favorites to win the Premier League going into this season. However, a poor run of form which includes four straight defeats in the division means they are now out of the title race. Liverpool are now eight points ahead of them. This is a lot to make up in such a competitive league and City's best hopes are to finish in the top four.
Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal are almost certain to occupy the other three Champions League places. However, City faces competition from Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa, Brighton and AFC Bournemouth for a spot in the top four. Brentford and Fulham also have an outside chance of qualifying for the Champions League.
TEAM RECORD (last five games) POINTS
Liverpool W-W-W-W-D 35
Chelsea D-W-W-W-W 31
Arsenal D-W-W-W-D 29
Man City L-L-L-W-D 27
Nottingham Forest L-L-W-L-W 25
Aston Villa L-D-L-W-W 25
Brighton W-W-D-L-D 24
Bournemouth L-L-W-W-W 24
Brentford W-D-W-L-W 23
Fulham W-L-D-W-D 23
Tottenham L-W-D-L-L 20
Newcastle W-L-D-D-L 20
Man United W-D-W-L-L 19
West Ham D-W-L-L-W 18
Everton L-D-D-L-W 14
Leicester L-L-L-W-D 14
Crystal Palace L-D-D-W-D 13
Ipswich Town W-D-L-L-L 9
Wolves W-W-L-L-L 9
Southampton L-L-D-L-L 5
Many would have expected Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United and Manchester United to make this list. However, they have all had a poor start to the season and can hope to secure a Europa League place at best. Brentford and Fulham both have an outside chance at qualifying for the Champions League.
The Cottagers have a history of soccer on the continent. They made it to the final of the Europa League in 2010. Roy Hodgson's side defeated Juventus, Wolfsburg and Hamburg along the way but lost to Atletico Madrid in the final hurdle.
Fulham have never played in the Champions League but they have shown that they can compete with the best teams in the Premier League recently. Last week Marco Silva's team beat Brighton and then drew with Arsenal at Craven Cottage.
If Brentford were to qualify for European soccer it would come as a huge achievement. The Bees were playing in League Two — the fourth tier of English soccer — as recently as 2009.
There were questions as to whether Andoni Iraola was the right man to lead AFC Bournemouth in his first season in charge — where he did not win any of his first nine Premier League games. However, he has turned the Cherries into a force in English soccer.
Iraola's team have won their last three Premier League games — which included a 1-0 win over Tottenham. They have an impressive roster which includes former Real Madrid goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga — who is on loan from Chelsea.
Eddie Howe took Bournemouth from League Two to the Premier League. It could be Iraola who guides them into European competition and gains the recognition that Howe has in the town.
Last season Brighton made it to the last 16 of the Europa League. However, they lost to AS Roma 5-1 on aggregate. This was beyond the wildest dreams of Brighton fans who at one point were sharing a ground with with Gillingham.
They are without European soccer this season, but with the youngest manager in the Premier League — they could land a place in the Champions League.
The Seagulls' recruitment is second to none. They lost Graham Potter to Chelsea but replaced him with Roberto De Zerbi. They now have Fabian Hurzeler. The 31-year-old is younger than the club captain Lewis Dunk but has already proved his quality in the Premier League.
Brighton's transfer policy is equally impressive. They have sold players such as Moises Caicedo, Marc Cucurella and Ben White to name a few. However, they still have a roster that is currently seventh in the Premier League.
Aston Villa are enjoying playing in the Champions League this season — where they have already beaten Bayern Munich. However, there are no guarantees that they will be in European soccer's premier competition again this year.
Unai Emery deserves a lot of credit for turning Steven Gerrard's struggling side into one that is now in the Champions League. It would be seen as a step backwards if Villa do not qualify for the Champions League again this season.
No one would have expected Nottingham Forest to be in contention to qualify for the Champions League at the start of the season. Last campaign in the Premier League, they finished 17th, which is just one place above the relegation zone. Most fans would have expected they would be battling relegation again this season.
Nuno Espirito Santo has made them contenders for European soccer, and they are just one place behind Manchester City in the Premier League. Forest beat Manchester United 3-2 last weekend with Chris Wood scoring the winner. Wood has scored 10 goals in the division this season which is just three less than the top goalscorer Erling Haaland.
Forest is a team with a massive history in Europe. They won the European Cup — which was what the Champions League used to be called - in 1979 and 1980. Brian Clough was their manager then and Espirito Santo could be regarded like Clough if he leads them into the Champions League.
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