Arsenal face Real Madrid on Tuesday in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie, and a win could have an important bearing on Premier League sides.
With the Premier League title race all but over, Arsenal only have the Champions League to play for this season. They face a difficult test on their hands getting past Real Madrid, however, with Los Blancos targeting their 16th trophy in the competition.
Certain Premier League sides currently competing for Europe will have a keen eye on the game at the Emirates Stadium, with teams such as Fulham, Newcastle, Chelsea, Aston Villa and Manchester City all set to potentially benefit if the Gunners win.
Arsenal beating Real Madrid would be a huge positive for the Premier League
With the two best-performing nations across the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League each season granted an extra place in the premier competition for the following season, England are currently top of the UEFA rankings thanks to the results and progression of Premier League sides.
UEFA works out the points total by averaging out the performance of each nation's representatives based on match results and progress in the competition, meaning England needs just one more win from any of the remaining five sides in Europe to guarantee a fifth Champions League spot for next season.
If Arsenal fail to beat Real Madrid, then a win for Aston Villa, Manchester United, Tottenham or Chelsea in their respective European games would still award the Premier League their fifth spot in the Champions League.
Just six points currently separates Chelsea in fourth and Brighton in ninth, meaning the race for the Champions League is certainly hotly contested at the moment, and will continue for the remaining seven games.
But that's not all; there's actually potential for seven Premier League teams to compete in the fabled competition next term.
If Aston Villa, who are currently sixth in the top flight, win the Champions League in Munich at the end of May but don't finish in the top five of the Premier League, they will become the sixth side from England to qualify for Europe's top-tier competition.
Additionally, if either Manchester United or Tottenham win the Europa League, they will become an extra team from the Premier League qualifying for the 2025/26 Champions League. With both sides currenty in the bottom half, it seems near impossible they'll be able to close the gap to the top five before the end of the season.
So while Arsenal's result against Real Madrid could have a huge bearing on next term, there will likely be many more opportunities for that fifth spot to become guaranteed.
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