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Enzo Maresca believes there is ‘no big difference’ between Chelsea and Arsenal despite the Blues suffering a setback to their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League at Emirates Stadium.

Makeshift striker Mikel Merino scored the only goal of the game in an uneventful afternoon, with both teams missing key attacking players.
Cole Palmer will need a scan on a muscular issue, Maresca revealed post match while suggesting the gap between the two London club’s isn’t very big at all.
Asked whether there maybe a lack of belief from Chelsea in big games, Maresca responded: “If the results say that. What I can say between the first game against Arsenal and today’s game, to be honest, I don’t see a big difference between us and them.
“This means we are, for me, since I arrived, I have the feeling we are on the right path and we are very close. We need just that step forward to compete in these kind of games. That step comes finishing in the top four, top five, Champions League spot.
“First of all we are going to try and win games away. At the moment, we are winning games at home and we are going to try and do the same away.
“At the beginning of the season, we were winning games away and struggled at home. Now it’s the other side. We are there, for sure, we need to improve away but overall I think we are good.”

And on Palmer’s issue, Maresca explained: “We don’t wish players injured but in Cole’s case, in this moment, it will give him some rest physically and mentally. It could be good.
“He needs a scan and the scan is planned for tomorrow. It’s not just about one player. When I say we cannot rely on Cole, it’s correct to say because you cannot rely on one player. It’s about the team and don’t give too much pressure on Cole.”

Real Madrid secured a very important victory over Villarreal on Saturday, but the club has been far from happy in the aftermath of this. Specifically, there has been a lot of unhappiness surrounding the decision for the match to be played when it was, considering that Los Blancos were in Champions League action against Atletico Madrid only three days prior.

After the match at La Ceramica, Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti expressed his anger and frustration in regards to the situation, and he claimed that the club had asked for the fixture to be moved to allow for his players to rest more after playing 120 minutes at the Metropolitano on Wednesday.
However, these claims made by Ancelotti have now been rejected by La Liga themselves, who have told Marca that Real Madrid have never requested for their match against Villarreal to be moved.

This is not the first issue that Real Madrid have butted heads with authorities over, but La Liga are clear that they have gone little wrong as per their guidelines, and also the rules of the Spanish Football Federation.
Ancelotti stated that he would threatened to withdrawn his Real Madrid from the La Liga match if his scenario was repeated in the future, but for now, it is not expected to happen again this season. Their Champions League quarter-final tie against Arsenal is one of the “long” ties scheduled by UEFA, meaning that there is an eight-day gap between the two legs, whereas Barcelona’s match-up against Borussia Dortmund has only six days – and as a result, they will have to deal with the same situation as Real Madrid have had to this weekend.

Former England star Dele Alli endured a nightmare return on his first competitive appearance in over two years as he was sent off less than 10 minutes into his debut for Serie A side Como.
Dele, once a leading light at Tottenham and a World Cup semi-finalist with Gareth Southgate’s England in 2018, has been trying to put his career back on track after being picked up by Como boss Cesc Fabregas before Christmas.

He was summoned from the bench in the 81st minute of Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at AC Milan, stepping out at San Siro to end a wait that dates back to his last appearance on loan at Besiktas in February 2023.

But his comeback turned sour when he made a clumsy challenge on former England team-mate Ruben Loftus-Cheek at the start of added time. He was shown an initial yellow card by referee Matteo Marchetti but a VAR review saw the caution turned into a red.
Another of his former England colleagues, Milan full-back Kyle Walker, appeared to try and talk Marchetti into showing lenience but the decision was already made.

Chelsea beat Man City in Women’s League Cup final to kick off quadruple chas

A 2-1 win over Manchester City in the Women’s League Cup final on Saturday earned Chelsea its first piece of silverware this season.
Chelsea — still unbeaten in all competitions — leads the Women’s Super League by eight points with six games remaining in its title defense, is in the quarterfinals of the Champions League, and has reached the FA Cup semifinals.
Yui Hasegawa’s unfortunate own-goal in the 77th minute clinched the win for Chelsea, which took the lead after eight minutes through Mayra Ramirez. It was also the Colombia striker who delivered the right-wing cross that Hasegawa sliced into her own net.

Hasegawa, the Japan midfielder, was in tears after the match and was consoled by her teammates.
Aoba Fujino equalized for City with a brilliant strike from the edge of the area in the 64th.
Chelsea had lost the previous three League Cup finals.
“It’s been doing my head in for a long time,” said Chelsea captain Millie Bright, who played a key role in resisting many City attacks in the second half.
“We have a mentality to never give in,” Bright added. “It’s something Chelsea has in its DNA.”
It was the first of four games between Chelsea and City in a 12-day span. They also meet in the two-legged Champions League quarterfinals — the first leg is on Wednesday — with a Women’s Super League match in between.

My players know exactly the rules. I told them that it’s important to celebrate for sure, but we have a game against City on Wednesday and we’ll need to be ready because again we expect a tough game,” said Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor, who collected her first trophy since joining the club in last year’s offseason.
“They can just go out until 9 o’clock,” she said about her players’ celebrations. “9:30, in bed.”

FC Barcelona were unable to play their league match against Osasuna scheduled for last week because of the sudden death of a first-team doctor, Carles Minarro.

The Blaugranes had requested La Liga to postpone this game, and the Pamplona side also agreed to this, keeping in view the unprecedented situation.
As things stand, a date on which this postponed match will be played is yet to be decided, but according to Diario AS, this match is looking most likely to be played on May 21st, particularly as the two sides believe this is the best time to play this game.

One issue that can arise regarding this date is that it will come in between the final two matchdays of the league, and La Liga is not too keen to see Barcelona play their postponed match on this date as they will likely be competing for the league title.
Earlier, the organisers had put forward March 27th as a suitable date to schedule this game. However, both the involved clubs objected to it, as this comes right after the upcoming international break.

The Catalans would have been particularly affected by the selection of that date, as two of their players, Raphinha and Araujo, are likely to play for their respective international teams on 26th and 25th March respectively, and neither would be in a position to play again on 27th.
Thus, May 21st is emerging as the only viable date for now. However, La Liga can also decide to see how the Blaugranes’ UCL campaign goes, as more slots can open up if they get eliminated before the semi-finals, which are scheduled for April 29/30 or May 6/7.

Furthermore, if Barcelona are eliminated by Atletico Madrid in the upcoming second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final, which currently stands at 4-4 on aggregate, April 26th, the day for the cup final, or the next day, can also be a suitable date to hold this postponed game.

Thomas Tuchel claims that Jordan Henderson’s leadership, fitness and being a “serial winner” was at the crux of his surprise England call-up. At 34 years of age, Henderson was Tuchel’s unlikely choice in his inaugural England selection, despite the ex-Liverpool skipper previously believing his time on the national team had drawn to a close.
Starting with an extensive roster of 55 prospects, Tuchel refined it to a 26-strong contingent for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia. Henderson, currently plying his trade at Ajax and last seen in an England jersey in November 2023, had been omitted from the Euros last summer and experienced a turbulent phase following his move to the Netherlands after a less-than-successful stint in Saudi Arabia.

Nonetheless, Tuchel stands firm that Henderson’s inclusion hinges not only on his footballing prowess but equally on his leadership qualities. The England manager aims to cultivate a club-like camaraderie on international turf.
Although Tuchel himself hasn’t personally observed Henderson’s performances recently—leaving that to assistant Anthony Barry—he mentioned their virtual conversation: “I gave him a call and he said he’s pickable all the time, the club manages his minutes to bring him through the season. This was the foundation for the decision. He is also a serial winner.

He is still the leader there, he is the vice captain there and brings to the team what he brings to every team. In terms of leadership, character, personality, energy, and because he made himself available by the way he played and the minutes he played we had the chance to bring him back.

“He will help talent to grow. He will help the talents to be there. If we nominate now everyone who is 20 because they’re then 22 in America this will not work.
“Jordan will make sure at the moment, in this camp, for everyone to be a better version. He will help us to build a team. I am very sure of that, otherwise I would not have done it.”

Henderson feels more like a cheerleader and good influence rather than a genuine choice over, for example, Morgan Gibbs-White. It was a similar story for Newcastle’s uncaptured defender Dan Burn who is 32 but also, at 6ft 7in, looks rather ungainly for an international player.
Yet again, one gets the impression that this selection is as much about Burn’s contribution to the camaraderie in the changing room as it is to his capabilities on the field.

Former boss Gareth Southgate engendered a sense of unity throughout his time in charge, but during the Euros last summer, the atmosphere in the squad was sometimes less than congenial, with suggestions that certain elements of the team’s dynamic were not as strong.

Tuchel, who mentioned having met Southgate just once at a Manchester City clash with Real Madrid, commented: “I was surprised that Dan was never called up, but he’s such a tall guy, but obviously it’s easy to overlook him.

These two phone calls, if you see the reaction from Jordan, this natural reaction when he was called up, and this natural reaction from Dan Bird, you instantly know that you picked the right guys.
“It is about building a team that loves to play with each other, that transports the spirit to the fans, to the nation, to the country, and it is about building a brotherhood.

While Manchester City put their quest for European qualification on the line again on Saturday when they host Brighton & Hove Albion, coach Pep Guardiola warned the south coast side are not the only team who can knock them out of contention.

Defending Premier League champions City are fifth in the standings and only a point above seventh-placed Brighton. Just seven points separate fourth-placed Chelsea and Fulham in 10th.

Guardiola has praised the rise of mid-table teams such as Brighton to challenge for top spots this season, and when asked on Friday if he considered Saturday’s opponents as rivals, he said: “And Bournemouth, and Aston Villa, and Newcastle (United), and maybe Fulham. Fantastic teams.

“Not a surprise. I had the feeling that they deserve it. They are really good, consistent, they have incredible weapons in the way they play.”

City’s early-season goal was to capture an historic fifth-consecutive league title, but their hopes unravelled with several poor performances.

They were knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid last month, and so qualifying for Europe’s elite club competition next season has become their main target.

Third-placed Nottingham Forest dealt them a further blow last weekend with a 1-0 league victory.

“If we are able to qualify for the Champions League, it would be a huge success from my point of view. There are seasons that you have to live that,” Guardiola said. “It is in our hands, it depends on us and our behaviours and our football whether we will be there or not.”

The Catalan was nonchalant when asked about the disappointment of their early Champions League exit.

I don’t have any disappointment and regret. We don’t deserve to be there. Enjoy football, the fantastic games that were at Anfield or in Paris, the competitiveness in Madrid, how good Barcelona is playing all season, the way they played for 65, 70 minutes against Benfica,” Guardiola said.

“I’m just a spectator to learn, see it, enjoy it, and absolutely I don’t have the feeling, ‘Ah it’s a pity Man City are not there.’

New England manager Thomas Tuchel is set to name his first Three Lions squad on 14 March, 73 days after officially starting his role and becoming just the third non-British manager of the men’s team after Sven-Göran Eriksson and Fabio Capello.

Tuchel’s squad is one of the most eagerly anticipated England selections for a long time, following eight years under Gareth Southgate. His interim replacement, Lee Carsley, picked largely the same players plus some who served him well in the Under-21s during his six-game tenure with the senior squad.
The German has reportedly compiled a 55-player longlist ahead of his first squad selection, but which players will make the final 26-man group for the upcoming FIFA World Cup qualification matches versus Albania and Latvia at Wembley?
Our writers picked out five players we think could make the cut, with each of them either uncapped or having extremely limited experience with the England national team.

Myles Lewis-Skelly

England have a left-back problem, Euro 2024 taught us as much. With injuries, retirements and a general lack of depth in the position, there’s now a genuine opportunity for a new name to stake a claim. That might just be Myles Lewis-Skelly.
It’s not his natural position – even Mikel Arteta acknowledged after Arsenal’s win in the north London derby that Lewis-Skelly had “never played as a full-back before.” But such has been the 18-year-old’s rapid rise this season that he’s forcing his way into serious international consideration.
His ascension to the first team has undoubtedly been accelerated by Arsenal’s injury issues, but Lewis-Skelly has quickly shown he belongs at the elite level.

On the ball, he is calm in pressured situations, and a composed figure when Arsenal look to play out from the back. The youngster boasts the highest open-play passing accuracy of any Arsenal player this season (95.0%) and also leads the squad in final-third passing accuracy (92.2%).
Despite being so young, it’s impressive how strong and combative Lewis-Skelly is. Remarkably, he leads all Premier League players this season for ground duel success rate (73.8%). For someone of his age to be doing that is phenomenal.

Elliot Anderson

It will have been abundantly clear to Tuchel as soon as he took the job that midfield is where he has the greatest embarrassment of riches. England could probably field an entire 26-man squad of quality midfielders.
He’s probably not going to do that, though, so the numbers will have to be whittled down.
Either way, one player who’ll at the very least be in contention is Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson, and for many reasons. He offers midfield versatility, his skillset is incredibly well rounded, he’s having a very good season, and he’d provide more defensive work rate than perhaps many of his positional rivals.

England have produced a lot of technically-gifted midfielders and creators over the past 10 years or so, but there’s often been a sense they’ve lacked defensively-shrewd operators.
Anderson, however, works tirelessly. His 6.7 possession recoveries per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season is the fifth most among midfielders (min. 900 mins played), while he ranks fourth among the same group for pressures – defined as closing down an opponent with the intention of winning possession or forcing a pass – in the defensive third of the pitch (13.0) per 90.
But he’s so much more than just a protective shield for the defence or a workhorse.

Among nominal defensive midfielders, he ranks seventh in the Premier League this term for progressive carries – movements with the ball that move play at least five metres upfield – per 90 (11.0). And that is despite him playing for a Nottingham Forest side that have the lowest average share of possession in the competition.
It reflects not only the purpose and drive he can bring to midfield, but also his technical quality on the ball.
That positivity also extends to an attacking threat. He’s had 15 instances of a carry ending with either a shot or chance created, which is the second most among those classed as defensive midfielders this season.

Anderson has the ability and skillset to play pretty much anywhere in the middle of the park. But it’s his effectiveness in a deeper role that might give him the edge, as could the fact he’s no mere destroyer.

Djed Spence

Djed Spence had never even started a Premier League game as recently as 14 December, but in the three months since his full debut, he has made himself undroppable at Spurs. His form at club level means he has to be in the conversation for an England call-up, too.

His rise has been quite astonishing. In August, he was left out of Tottenham’s Europa League squad, and he was barely trusted to play a minute in a game of any importance. He made only five appearances in any competition before his first Premier League start at Southampton late last year.
An exceptional defender who is rarely beaten by an opponent in an individual battle, Spence ranks top of all Premier League defenders to play at least 600 minutes this season for duels won per 90 (8.1).
He also brings an attacking threat, particularly with his ability to bring the ball out of defence and carry it up the pitch with purpose. Among the same group of defenders, he comes out on top for both attempted (4.0) and successful (2.2) dribbles per 90. He also tops all Premier League full-backs for progressive carries per 90 (5.7) and for carries followed by a take-on per 90 (1.9) as well.

Able to play either at right-back or left-back, Spence would also bring a useful versatility to a squad limited in size. England aren’t exactly stacked in either position, and Spence is a very good option on both sides of defence.

Liam Delap

Liam Delap has been a bright spark in what has been a largely disappointing season for Ipswich Town in the Premier League. Kieran McKenna’s side currently sit six points from safety and look set to be relegated back to the Championship, but Delap’s form has proved he’s good enough to be a Premier League footballer.

With 10 Premier League goals, he’s scored over a third of Ipswich’s total in the competition this season (38.4%). At this rate, Delap could end up being just the fifth player in Premier League history to score more than 15 for a team that have been relegated that season.

Delap is tall, stocky, quick, has exceptional balance, and the rate at which opponents bounce off him shows how strong he is. He moves with the ball like few others at the top of the game, and he is excelling as one of the Premier League’s best ball carriers in what is his first season of regular action in the top flight.
Of players to have played at least 200 minutes in the Premier League this season, Delap averages the second-longest carries behind Anthony Elanga at 14.4m per carry. He is also one of only four strikers to have played at least 1,500 minutes of Premier League action this season and average over 100m with ball carries per 90 (100.2) alongside Jarrod Bowen, Alexander Isak and João Pedro.

Only 22 years old, Delap could prove to be an able back-up option to Harry Kane as a striker, even more so with Ivan Toney’s move to Saudi Arabia seemingly making it less likely he’ll make Tuchel’s squad.

Adam Wharton

One of the more problematic areas for England in recent years has been pairing someone in central midfield with Declan Rice.

With the failed experiment of Trent Alexander-Arnold at Euro 2024 and Conor Gallagher also not working – albeit his form in Spain this season could persuade Tuchel to take a look at him – Southgate turned to teenager Kobbie Mainoo for much of the tournament. It worked to an extent but didn’t feel like an ideal solution, and arguably even less so now with the Manchester United youngster struggling for fitness and form this season.
It therefore seems like an opening is there, and Adam Wharton could be the man to grasp the opportunity. He was part of the squad for Euro 2024 but was one of five Three Lions players who didn’t play a single minute in Germany. His only cap came in a 28-minute substitute appearance in the pre-tournament friendly win over Bosnia and Herzegovina.

His time could be now, though. Still only 21 years old, the Crystal Palace midfielder missed around three months of the season with a groin issue but has been a shining light in a buoyant Eagles side since his comeback in early February.
Wharton made his first start of 2025 in the recent 4-1 thrashing of Aston Villa, delighting Selhurst Park with a supreme performance, and has been a key part of Oliver Glasner’s team when available this season.
Of Palace players to have played at least 60 minutes in all competitions in 2024-25, no one has regained possession from opponents as frequently as Wharton (7.4 per 90) and no player averages more open-play chances created per 90 as his 1.6 (level with Eberechi Eze).

In fact, in the Premier League this season, of players to have played at least 800 minutes, no one can match Wharton’s possession won per-90 average of 7.5.

Source: (Statistics were gotten  from Opta Analysts)

Writer: Njemedzeh Bertrand (Katikaa’s Commumity Manager)

Inter Miami CF are through to the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinals after a 2-0 triumph (4-0 aggregate) over Jamaican side Cavalier FC in Leg 2 of their Round-of-16 series on Thursday at National Stadium Independence Park.

The Herons advance to take on MLS foe LAFC, who topped the Columbus Crew in their Round of 16 series by a 4-2 aggregate scoreline. Thursday’s match featured a second-half cameo from superstar Lionel Messi, who scored a goal in his return to action after sitting out the first leg for load management.

Inter Miami 2, Cavalier FC 0

Goals from Luis Suárez and Messi made for a relatively stress-free result for the Herons, who came into the matchup protecting a 2-0 aggregate lead.

It marked the second goal of the series for Suárez after he netted an 83rd-minute insurance tally in Leg 1. Messi then gave the crowd a moment to remember, converting a breakaway finish on the last kick of the match to round out the 4-0 aggregate final.

Inter Miami return to MLS action this weekend with a Sunday Night Soccer clash at Eastern Conference foe Atlanta United (7 pm ET | MLS Season Pass).

Goals

37′ – MIA – Luis Suárez

90’+2′ – MIA – Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi playing in Jamaica 🇯🇲  is his 51st country that the Argentine has played in. And to talk about Javier Mascherano, Inter Miami coach, he has been unbeaten this 2025:

Javier Mascherano’s Inter Miami remains undefeated in 2025, winning their last 5 matches:

✅ 2 (3) – (2) 2 vs. América.
✅ 0 (5) – (4) 0 vs. Universitario.
✅ 3-1 vs. San Miguelito.
✅ 5-0 vs. Olimpia.
🟰 2-2 vs. Orlando City.
✅ 1-0 vs. Sporting Kansas (Concacaf Champions League).
🟰 2-2 vs. NY City FC (MLS).
✅ 3-1 vs. Sporting Kansas.
✅ 4-1 vs. Houston Dynamo.
✅ 2-0 vs. Cavalier FC (Concacaf Champions League).
✅ 1-0 vs. Charlotte.
✅ 2-0 vs. Cavalier FC.

Bruno Fernandes netted a hat-trick as Manchester United eased to a 4-1 win over Real Sociedad to reach the Europa League quarter-finals and Tottenham Hotspur advanced after a 3-1 victory over AZ Alkmaar on Thursday.
United will face Lyon in the last eight after the French side strolled to a 4-0 win over Steaua Bucharest.

After a 1-1 draw in Spain, United were a goal down after 10 minutes when Matthijs de Ligt fouled Mikel Oyarzabal and Oyarzabal converted from the spot. But the hosts levelled six minutes later with a penalty of their own scored by Fernandes after Igor Zubeldia had fouled Rasmus Hojlund.
Another spot-kick gave United the lead five minutes after the interval, with Aritz Elustondo adjudged to have fouled Patrick Dorgu and Fernandes again made no mistake.

After Sociedad were reduced to 10 men when Jon Aramburu fouled Joshua Zirkzee, Fernandes completed his hat-trick and Diogo Dalot wrapped up a 5-2 aggregate victory for United in added time.
Spurs’ season effectively hinged on whether they could overturn a 1-0 deficit against AZ Alkmaar in the third meeting between the sides in this year’s competition.

They managed it thanks to two goals by Wilson Odobert, the French youngster’s first for the club since joining in August.
Odobert opened the scoring in the 26th minute after a poor clearance by AZ’s Wouter Goes and the hosts moved ahead on aggregate three minutes after the break when Son Heung-min set up James Maddison for a side-footed finish into the corner.
AZ were gifted a way back in to the tie in the 63rd minute when Peer Koopmeiners took advantage of a defensive error to fire a shot past Guglielmo Vicario.
But Odobert struck again in the 74th minute to ease the home jitters, finishing off a flowing Tottenham attack down the left from close range.

Spurs will next face Eintracht Frankfurt who eased to a 6-2 aggregate win over Ajax after a 4-1 home victory in which Mario Gotze scored twice.
Lyon, 3-1 up from the first leg, cruised into the quarter-finals, with Ernest Nuamah and Georges Mikautdze both scoring twice.

Bilbao beat AS Roma 3-1, the Italian side reduced to 10 men after Mats Hummels was shown an early red card and the hosts’ Nico Williams scored twice either side of Yuri Berchiche’s goal.
Roma’s Leandro Paredes converted a late penalty but the Spanish side advanced 4-3 on aggregate.
Lazio, 2-1 up from the first leg against Viktoria Plzen, went behind to a Pavel Sulc goal early in the second half but scraped through with a 1-1 draw and a 3-2 aggregate win thanks to Alessio Romagnoli’s late header.
The Italians will next meet Bodo/Glimt who lost 2-1 at Olympiacos but advanced 4-2 on aggregate.

Julian Alvarez’s penalty being disallowed without being allowed to be retaken has caused huge controversy as Atletico Madrid were knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid.

UEFA on Thursday said it would consider a potential rule change after Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez’s penalty was controversially disallowed in their Champions League shootout loss to Real Madrid. Real Madrid won Wednesday’s shootout 4-2 after a 2-2 draw on aggregate to qualify for the quarter-finals, with Atletico coach Diego Simeone casting suspicion on the decision to rule out Alvarez’s spot-kick. The Argentina international was deemed by VAR to have kicked the ball twice, touching it with his standing foot as he slipped before striking to score.

Although minimal, the player made contact with the ball using his standing foot before kicking it,” UEFA said in a statement.

“Under the current rule, the VAR had to call the referee signalling that the goal should be disallowed.”
However, European football’s governing body said it would hold talks with the sport’s lawmakers regarding the rule on double touches.
“UEFA will enter discussions with FIFA and IFAB to determine whether the rule should be reviewed in cases where a double touch is clearly unintentional,” it added.

Simeone said he wanted to believe the officials got the penalty decision right.
“I’ve never seen a penalty where they’ve called the VAR, but well, they would have seen that he touched it, I want to believe, I want to believe they saw he touched it.”

The coach asked members of the media during his press conference to raise their hand if they had seen a replay in which it was clear Alvarez had touched the ball twice.
“Raise your hand, anyone who saw Julian touch it twice, who is going to raise their hand? Nobody has raised their hand,” shouted Simeone.

The Premier League has received a significant boost in the race for an additional Champions League qualification spot after Lille got eliminated.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Dortmund secured a 2-1 comeback victory at Stade Pierre-Mauroy, clinching a 3-2 aggregate win and advancing to the quarter-finals. Lille’s defeat means that the French league is officially out of contention for one of the extra UCL places available for next season.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

This season, UEFA introduced a rule granting two additional Champions League spots to the leagues with the best collective performance in European competitions. These extra spots are determined based on the coefficient rankings, which track results across the Champions League, Europa League, and Europa Conference League. With France now out of the equation, the race for these coveted slots is narrowed down to just four leagues – England, Spain, Italy, and Germany.

DID YOU KNOW?

Despite Manchester City and Liverpool exiting the Champions League, English clubs remain well-represented across all European competitions. Arsenal and Aston Villa have both progressed and if they continue their runs, they could meet in a potential semi-final showdown. Meanwhile, Manchester United and Tottenham are still competing in the Europa League, but since they are in separate brackets, they cannot eliminate each other before the final. This ensures that England will continue to rack up valuable coefficient points regardless of their progress.

WHAT ARE THE CURRENT STANDINGS?

1. England, 23.035 – (Five out of seven English teams are still in Europe, aka 5/7)
2. Spain, 20.892 – (5/7)
3. Italy, 19.375 – (4/8)
4. Germany, 17.546 – (3/8)
5. Portugal, 16.250 – (1/5)
6. France, 15.785 – (2/7)
7. Belgium, 15.250 – (1/5)
8. Netherlands, 15.250 – (3/6)
9. Greece, 12.187 – (2/4)
10. Norway, 10.812 – (2/4)
For the Premier League it will look like this:
Champions League: 1-5
Europa League: 6, FA Cup winners
Conference League: Carabao Cup winners
Whereas, for LaLiga, the Bundesliga, or Serie A it will be:
Champions League: 1-5

Europa League: 6, Cup winners
Conference League: 7

WHAT NEXT?

The Premier League appears set to lock in its extra place earlier than usual, possibly before the end of March. With multiple English teams still in contention across all three European competitions, England’s standing is stronger than ever. As the knockout stages progress, all eyes will be on the remaining Premier League clubs, whose performances will dictate how early England secures its additional Champions League place for the 2025/26 season.