Manchester City will go head-to-head with Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final later today as both sides eye up silverware at Wembley. And the match will have an impact on which Premier League clubs secure European qualification.
City have endured an underwhelming season by their usual high standards after suffering a rare blip in form last autumn. The Citizens were virtually out of the Premier League title race by Christmas after already being dumped out of the Carabao Cup by Tottenham in October. Pep Guardiola’s side then succumbed to Real Madrid in the last-16 of the Champions League. Palace, meanwhile, have had an inconsistent season on the pitch but reached the FA Cup final after overcoming Aston Villa in the semi-finals. And the Eagles could yet pull off a shock against the seven-time winners.
The team that wins the FA Cup automatically qualifies for the Europa League, unless they secure Champions League football through their league position.
Typically four Premier League clubs are handed a place in the Champions League, but next season there will be six English teams in the competition.
One extra place has been awarded due to England’s placing in UEFA's association club coefficient rankings. On top of that, Manchester United and Tottenham are both attempting to take advantage of a backdoor route into the competition reserved for the champions of the Europa League, with the two sides set to meet in the final of the second tier European club competition next week.
Palace are currently 12th in the league table ahead of the final two matches of the season and are unable to break into the top five.
Therefore, if Oliver Glasner’s team clinch silverware at the national stadium, they will cement a place in the Europa League.
However, if City come out on top, the Europa League spot will be handed to the highest ranked team in the Premier League who fail to qualify for the competition. And that could see the eighth-place finishers playing in the Conference League.
City currently find themselves in fourth position in the league table with two games remaining. They will therefore be confident of securing Champions League football unless they suffer a dismal end to the campaign.
Chelsea, meanwhile, would secure a Europa League spot if they win the Conference League but would relinquish their place in the competition if they qualify for the Champions League instead. Newcastle have earned a spot in Conference League qualifying after winning the Carabao Cup but will be hoping to trade their place for one of the other competitions if they finish high enough.
And the permutations of finishing positions in the Premier League table combined with European club competition winners could leave the eighth-place team with a Conference League spot next season. So the likes of eighth-place Brentford, ninth-place Brighton and 10th-place Bournemouth will be watching the FA Cup final with bated breath.