Tottenham Hotspur have had a season that the supporters just want to forget yet there are a couple of scenarios - one even more unlikely than the other - that could bring European football to the club next season.
After Sunday's 2-0 defeat at Fulham, Spurs currently sit 14th in the Premier League table after suffering their 15th defeat in the competition. It is already the most losses in a league campaign in 16 years for the north London club and there are still nine matches to go, with plenty of difficult ones among them. Only the bottom four have fallen to defeat in more games than Tottenham this season and only Southampton and Leicester have lost more away from home.
One of the few saving graces of the campaign has been Ange Postecoglou's side's progress in the Europa League and next month they will face Eintracht Frankfurt across two matches in the quarter-finals of the competition. Last season brought Tottenham's first campaign without European football in years and the way things are going that could be the case again next time out.
Yet remarkably there are still a couple of ways for Tottenham to qualify for continental competition, even if one would require an incredible set of circumstances.
First and foremost, the most obvious way for Spurs to feature in European football next season is to win the Europa League. They must overcome Frankfurt over the two legs next month - April 10 and 17 at home and then away - and then they would have to beat either Bodo/Glimt or Lazio in the semi-final, again with the away leg second. A place in the final in Bilbao on May 21 would pit them against Manchester United, Lyon, Rangers or Athletic Club.
That means five matches of football to win a trophy and with that would come qualification to the Champions League next season as a lucrative bonus prize.
When it comes to the Premier League and qualifying that way, through conventional means Tottenham are miles off. They sit 10 points off the top half alone with nine games remaining and 27 points to play for.
However, the Premier League have explained that there is an admittedly unlikely scenario where the team finishing 11th in the competition this season could play in Europe next time out. Prepare yourself, for all of these events must slot into place.
First Liverpool, Arsenal, Nottingham Forest, Manchester City must all qualify for the Champions League as the top four teams in the division. Then Newcastle have to qualify for the Champions League in fifth, thanks to UEFA being currently on course to award an extra place for English clubs' performances in Europe this season.
Next up in this scenario, Brighton qualify for the Europa League by finishing sixth and, continue to bear with us here, but Bournemouth finish seventh and qualify for the Europa League by winning the FA Cup.
Chelsea, currently fourth, would then need to freefall and finish eighth while also qualifying for the Europa League by winning the Conference League.
We're not done yet because Aston Villa must then finish ninth yet qualify for the Champions League by winning that competition. Next up would have to come Manchester United or Spurs finishing 10th and qualifying for the Champions League by winning the Europa League.
All of that incredible sequence of events would mean the Conference League place earned by Newcastle for winning the Carabao Cup on Sunday could not be allocated to any of the top 10 teams, as they would all have qualified for another European competition. It would therefore go to the team in the next-highest Premier League position - 11th.
That spot is currently held by Brentford on 41 points, with Crystal Palace two points behind, United another two back and Spurs seven off the Bees.
Yes, we know. Let's be honest it's win the Europa League or bust for Tottenham this season.
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