What happens if Aston Villa finish fourth and win Europa League?

[BBC] England will miss out on the possibility of having six teams in next season's Champions League if Aston Villa win Wednesday's Europa League final and finish in the top four of the Premier League. Because of the performance of English clubs in Uefa's three club competitions this season - the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League - England were given one of two Elite Performance Spots (EPS). It means that instead of four Premier League clubs qualifying for next season's Champions League, England will have five.

Spain have also won an EPS, with Real Betis taking the extra spot. Because of that, clubs in the Premier League's top five will play in next season's top-tier Champions League. One of the other ways of qualifying for next season's Champions League is by winning the Europa League.

Villa face German side Freiburg on Wednesday night in this season's Europa League final in Istanbul, Turkey. In the scenario where Villa were to win the Europa League and finish in fifth spot, it would mean that England's EPS will be taken by the Premier League team finishing sixth. This is because EPS are applied after all other forms of qualification.

What needs to happen for the Premier League to get six Champions League clubs Aston Villa's result against Freiburg will have a major impact on who qualifies for next season's Champions League [Getty Images] Going into Sunday's final round of Premier League fixtures, Villa are fourth and three points clear of Liverpool in fifth. Should they beat Freiburg, the only way England will have six spots in the Champions League is if Villa were to finish in fifth place. In that scenario, England's five spots would be made up of the top four Premier League clubs and sixth, as Villa's qualification would technically be as the winners of the Europa League and not as a Premier League qualifier.