What Liverpool and Man Utd must do to secure Champions League qualification
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Liverpool FC NewsFeaturesChampions LeagueLiverpool and Manchester United are both on the cusp of Champions League qualification ahead of the two teams' Premier League meeting at Old Trafford todayArne Slot's men can secure Champions League qualification today(Image: 2026 Getty Images)It would take an almighty collapse now for Liverpool or Manchester United to miss out on Champions League qualification, but the outcome of Sunday's game between English soccer's two most successful clubs could mathematically guarantee a place at Europe's top table for the victor.With just four games in the season remaining, United has a 10-point cushion inside the top five, while Liverpool has a seven-point cushion.It was confirmed last month that a top-five finish will be enough for a spot in next season's Champions League.If Liverpool wins at Old Trafford, that could be enough to guarantee a top-five finish – that's because, if Liverpool were to pick up three points today, that would leave Bournemouth as the only team outside of the top five potentially capable of catching up to Arne Slot's side in the table.READ MORE: Manchester United predicted starting XI vs Liverpool amid injury doubtREAD MORE: Liverpool predicted line-up vs Man Utd as Arne Slot deals with fresh injury woesBournemouth hosts Crystal Palace in a game that kicks off 90 minutes earlier than the Liverpool-United game, and – if Liverpool wins – only a Bournemouth victory would be enough to keep the Cherries within striking distance of the Reds in the standings.Even if both Liverpool and Bournemouth won, there would be nine points between them at the end of the weekend, with just three games in the season remaining, so that gives a picture of how unlikely it is that the Reds would miss out on on a top-five finish if they were to beat United.As for United, its place at Europe's top table next term can be secured – irrespective of results elsewhere – by avoiding defeat to Liverpool.Bournemouth is the only team outside of the top five that is currently mathematically capable of matching United's points tally at the end of the season, and for that to happen the Cherries would have to win their remaining four games, while Michael Carrick's men would have to lose all of theirs.Michael Carrick has had a big impact at Manchester United(Image: 2026 James Gill - Danehouse)That is obviously not going to happen, and the reality is that it is almost certainly only a matter of time before both United and Liverpool secure their place in next season's Champions League.On the importance of the final result against United for Liverpool's season, Reds head coach Arne Slot said: "I think it’s always like that, every game you play has influence on your league position. So that’s not only when you play Man United, it’s every week in every game."But we are aware of the fact that it’s a very big game, not only because we play Man United, but definitely also to qualify for the Champions League and to get the highest possible position in the league table, which of course is something we want."We wanted to, of course, win the league.
And then you have to try to end up as high as possible, and that’s what we are trying week in, week out, and that’s what we’re going to try Sunday again as well."Choose Liverpool.com as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.Champions LeagueLiverpool FCManchester United FC