Need to know
An unusual situation has arisen which could see Brentford benefit by losing to Liverpool on the final day of the season
Mohamed Salah scores Liverpool against Brentford
Brentford won the reverse fixture 3-2 in October despite this goal from Mohamed Salah(Image: Getty Images)
How Brentford may land a Champions League place by losing to Liverpool
Impact of Villa reaching final: Aston Villa have reached the Europa League final against SC Freiburg. Winning this trophy grants an automatic invitation to next season's Champions League. This title-holder spot is independent of the standard four spots or the fifth European Performance Spots (EPS) allocated to the league.
Impact on Brentford: The crucial factor is the trickle-down effect that occurs when a team qualifies for the Champions League through two different routes. If Aston Villa win the Europa League and finish in fifth, the EPS spot is technically vacated and moves down to the next highest-ranked team.
Current position: As it stands, Liverpool and Aston Villa are level on points, with Liverpool holding fourth on goal difference. If Liverpool win their final game against Brentford, they could secure fourth, potentially pushing Villa into fifth.
What Brentford need to do: Brentford are currently battling Bournemouth for sixth place and need to finish there to benefit from any potential trickle-down scenarios. If Brentford remain in sixth and Villa finish in fifth, Villa’s Europa League trophy win would pass the EPS invitation down to the Bees.
Why Brentford could benefit from losing: If Brentford were to beat Liverpool, they might inadvertently help Villa climb into fourth. If Villa win the Europa League and then finish fourth, they would occupy a standard qualifying spot, meaning the fifth-place team keeps the EPS place and sixth place would get a Europa League spot instead.
Six teams in Champions League: This specific scenario is one of the rare cases where a country could send six teams to the Champions League. This happens when a team winning a major European trophy also occupies one of the five allocated league spots, causing the surplus to benefit the team directly below them.
Brentford's goal: Ultimately, the Bees' primary goal is to maintain sixth while hoping Aston Villa do not finish in the top four. While no professional athlete plays to lose, the 'golden ticket' of Champions League football offers a massive financial and understandable desire for Liverpool to finish fourth.
Key dates: The Europa League final takes place on Wednesday, May 20. That is four days before the final round of Premier League fixtures on May 24, when all the matches will kick off simultaneously. Before then, Villa host Liverpool on May 15.
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