Why Bournemouth may need Liverpool to win on final day despite Champions League race
Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version from Liverpool.com or go back to LFC Live.
Liverpool FC NewsFeaturesLiverpool FCBournemouth may need Liverpool to win against Brentford on the final day of the Premier League season, despite the Cherries playing catch-up in the race for the Champions LeagueAndoni Iraola on the Bournemouth bench.(Image: Eddie Keogh/Getty Images)While Liverpool is on the verge of being confirmed as a Champions League club ahead of next season and Bournemouth is the only team that can catch it, the Cherries might end up cheering the Reds on at the weekend.If Aston Villa wins the Europa League, that opens up the possibility of a sixth team from the Premier League making it into UEFA's top competition. In the event that Unai Emery's men beat Freiburg in Istanbul later today, sixth spot could become a Champions League place in the Premier League standings, but only in the event of them also finishing fifth.For Aston Villa to drop down one place in the standings (it is currently fourth), Liverpool would need to beat Brentford on Sunday.
Emery's men would need to beat Freiburg and then lose to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, though that is a perfectly plausible scenario.READ MORE: Liverpool sent clear Alisson transfer message as Arne Slot 'perspective' requiredREAD MORE: Liverpool transfer news and rumors today LIVE: Diomande decision, Camara move, Barcola interestAs a result, even though Bournemouth could overtake Liverpool by beating Nottingham Forest by a hefty margin and hoping that the Reds lose to Brentford, it might actually be better to hope that Arne Slot's team wins and Aston Villa loses.There is another quirk heading into the final round of Premier League fixtures.Though extremely unlikely, there is a chance that a place in the Champions League could come down to a play-off for Liverpool and Bournemouth.Arne Slot and Liverpool could be challenged by Bournemouth for fifth place(Image: Getty Images)If Liverpool loses 1-0 to Brentford and Bournemouth wins 5-0 at Nottingham Forest, the teams would be level on points, and would also have the same goal difference and goals scored.After that, it goes on the team who collected the most points in the head-to-head matches, and then who scored the most away goals in the head-to-head — both of which would also be level.In that very specific case, Aston Villa would finish fourth, so no matter how it gets on in the Europa League final, only fifth place — and not sixth — would be good enough for a Champions League spot.Given that Liverpool and Bournemouth would have identical records, a play-off would then be required to determine who finishes fifth and therefore gets into the Champions League.Get Liverpool's new 2026/27 home kitThis article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn moreLiverpool FC have launched their new home kit for the 2026/27, inspired by iconic adidas strip worn during the club's 1989/90 title-winning campaign.Of course, Liverpool could simply beat Brentford and from a Reds perspective, that would be a good way to bring the curtain down on a campaign to forget.That would leave Bournemouth hoping that Aston Villa is beaten by Manchester City, having already won against Freiburg.
Slot, though, would prefer to avoid any last-minute drama.Liverpool will sport its new Adidas home kit on Sunday. The Reds will also wave goodbye to Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson, who are departing after nine years at the club.Choose Liverpool.com as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.Liverpool FCAFC BournemouthChampions League