UEFA have confirmed that the team which secures seventh place in the Premier League could yet qualify for the Champions League. Numerous teams are currently vying to finish in the top four, which would ensure a place in next season’s competition.

Arsenal and Manchester City are highly likely to secure their spots in the tournament, but there are at least two, possibly three, additional places available.

England is set to gain an extra qualification spot for the Champions League via the European Performance Spots (EPS) awarded by UEFA, contingent on each nation’s respective coefficient.

This means that finishing fifth could also suffice to qualify for the Champions League, as was the case last season for Newcastle United.

However, the situation could become complex if certain Premier League teams were to achieve success this season, reports The Mirror.

With Liverpool in the quarter-final of the Champions League and Aston Villa in the quarter-final of the Europa League, it’s feasible that the team that finishes seventh in the Premier League could receive the extra EPS granted by UEFA.

If Liverpool were to win the Champions League and Villa win the Europa League, with both clubs finishing fifth and sixth in the Premier League respectively, England would see the EPS allocated to the team that finishes seventh in the Premier League.

Newcastle, Brentford, Brighton, Everton, Bournemouth and Fulham are among the clubs who might have aspirations of securing seventh place in the Premier League this season and could profit from the rule.

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“If Liverpool win the UEFA Champions League and finish 5th and Aston Villa win the UEFA Europa League and finish 6th, the EPS would be awarded to the seventh-ranked club in the EPL, in accordance with Article 3.08 and 3.09 of the competition regulations,” UEFA confirmed to The Shields Gazette.

Newcastle were eliminated from the Champions League in midweek following their loss to Barcelona, with manager Eddie Howe expressing the club’s ambitions to maintain their involvement in the competition.

“Of course, this is where we want to be,” Howe said after the defeat at the Camp Nou.

“As much as today is a harsh scoreline on us and a painful experience, to see the players play as well as they did in the first half and execute 90% of what we wanted was a great feeling, a great sight. I don’t think that all should be forgotten with the scoreline, as difficult as that is for everyone to see.”

He added: “Our defending was not on a level that it was just a few days ago at Chelsea. It started with the first goal when two players slip and then we concede a set-play.

“Then probably the big moment is the penalty, so as well as we played in the first half, when I thought we were outstanding in many aspects – it was really a great representation of how we want to play – there were too many individual errors within the performance to carry that great performance through.

“Really, if we had defended anywhere near the level we can, I think we would have been leading at half-time.”