Premier League finale: Aston Villa, Chelsea, Tottenham, Salah and more
Premier League finale: Aston Villa, Chelsea, Tottenham, Salah and more The final weekend of the 2025/26 is almost here and there are several issues still to be resolved at both ends of the table. Without further ado, read on as we look at what’s in store on Matchday 38, starting with some potentially intriguing Champions League shenanigans. The joy of six Aston Villa’s impressive 3-0 victory over Freiburg in the Europa League final on Wednesday could have significant ramifications for the Premier League.
As a reward for their collective progress in European competitions this season, the English top flight has already been awarded an additional place in the Champions League. However, Villa’s Europa League triumph has opened the door for a sixth Premier League team to qualify for next season’s competition. If they lose at Manchester City in their final game and Liverpool defeat Brentford at Anfield, the team that finishes sixth in the Premier League will qualify for the Champions League.
Bournemouth or Brighton & Hove Albion can still finish sixth, adding more intrigue to their respective fixtures against Nottingham Forest and Manchester United. Underachievers jostle with ‘small clubs’ for European qualification Chelsea are one of the biggest ‘banter clubs’ in the Premier League, with their clueless owners lurching from one disaster to another. The Blues head into the final weekend eighth in the standings, a whopping 30 points behind newly-crowned champions Arsenal.
They can still qualify for the Europa League or the Europa Conference League, but face a tricky test against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. Given that the Black Cats can also sneak into a European qualification place, Chelsea are unlikely to have things their own way on Sunday. The irony of the ‘Club World Cup champions’ jostling with so-called ‘smaller clubs’ for a place in Europe is not lost on the wider football community.
Tottenham and West Ham set for nervy finale Tottenham Hotspur’s 2-1 defeat at Chelsea on Tuesday night means the battle to avoid relegation will go down to the final day. Spurs are two points above 18th-placed West Ham with one game to play. They host Everton, while the Hammers are at home to Leeds United.