The UEFA Conference League is firmly in sight for Everton this season, but a route to the UEFA Champions League is starting to appear.
David Moyes currently has the Toffees sitting eighth in the Premier League on 43 points – a substantial eight points away from Aston Villa in fourth spot, which is typically the lowest you can finish to earn UEFA Champions League qualification.
However, after Liverpool and Aston Villa progressed in Europe, there could well be a route into the UEFA Champions League for Everton even by finishing seventh.
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Liverpool and Aston Villa glory could see Everton make shock UEFA Champions League return
It will require plenty of things to fall into place for Moyes, but here is how seventh place could potentially land Everton – who like Abdul Fatawu – back into the UEFA Champions League for the first time since 2005.
Firstly, Liverpool need to win the UEFA Champions League and Aston Villa must lift the UEFA Europa League.
Both the Reds and the Villans would also need to finish outside of the top four in the Premier League – specifically in fifth and sixth place – as the winners of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League are automatically given spots in the UEFA Champions League regardless of league position.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  ArsenalArsenal | 31 | 21 | 7 | 3 | 61 | 22 | 39 | 70 |
| 2 |  Manchester CityManchester City | 30 | 18 | 7 | 5 | 60 | 28 | 32 | 61 |
| 3 |  Manchester UnitedManchester United | 30 | 15 | 9 | 6 | 54 | 41 | 13 | 54 |
| 4 |  Aston VillaAston Villa | 30 | 15 | 6 | 9 | 40 | 37 | 3 | 51 |
| 5 |  LiverpoolLiverpool | 30 | 14 | 7 | 9 | 49 | 40 | 9 | 49 |
| 6 |  ChelseaChelsea | 30 | 13 | 9 | 8 | 53 | 35 | 18 | 48 |
| 7 |  BrentfordBrentford | 30 | 13 | 6 | 11 | 46 | 42 | 4 | 45 |
| 8 |  EvertonEverton | 30 | 12 | 7 | 11 | 34 | 35 | -1 | 43 |
England – who James Garner could soon debut for – also needs to secure one of the two available European Performance Spots (EPS).
UEFA award two countries an additional spot in the UEFA Champions League depending on how they perform in Europe, and it would trickle down to seventh place if Liverpool and Aston Villa become European champions this season.
Article 3 of UEFA documents states: “The EPS is allocated to the club that finishes the relevant association’s domestic championship in the highest position of all those that do not qualify for the league phase of the UEFA Champions League.”
| Rank | Association | Teams | Points | Total | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | England | 5/9 | 92.625 | 223.125 | 24.791 |
| 2 | Spain | 6/8 | 66.250 | 162.250 | 20.281 |
| 3 | Germany | 3/7 | 53.000 | 136.000 | 19.428 |
| 4 | Portugal | 3/5 | 33.500 | 94.500 | 18.900 |
| 5 | Italy | 2/7 | 48.000 | 131.000 | 18.714 |
| 6 | France | 2/7 | 40.250 | 114.750 | 16.392 |
| 7 | Poland | 4 | 7.500 | 63.000 | 15.750 |
| 8 | Greece | 1/5 | 16.500 | 69.000 | 13.800 |
| 9 | Denmark | 4 | 12.500 | 49.000 | 12.250 |
| 10 | Cyprus | 4 | 9.625 | 48.625 | 12.156 |
With Liverpool, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace still involved in UEFA competitions at this stage of the season, England sit top of UEFA’s coefficient rankings and are likely to get this extra spot – which would see fifth place in the Premier League handed a UEFA Champions League slot.
Is this genuinely realistic…🤔
It means the UEFA Champions League qualification spot for finishing fifth would bypass Liverpool and Aston Villa in the event of them winning the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League respectively, and trickle down to seventh place – a position Everton sit just two points away from.
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