What good is a seventh place in the Premier League? Aston Villa and Tottenham among those chasing Europe

As the 2022/23 season draws to a close, several Premier League sides are still battling for a place in the top seven.

Tottenham, Aston Villa and Brentford are among those who can finish the season strong and possibly secure European football.

And while a top four finish is considered the most coveted position, finishing seventh also has its perks.

What good is a seventh place in the Premier League?

Traditionally, England’s only place in the Europa Conference League is transferred to the team that wins the Carabao Cup.

However, 2022/23 League Cup champions Manchester United are guaranteed to finish in the top six, meaning their European spot drops to sixth.

But this year, the team that finishes sixth will play in the Europa League as the FA Cup final pits Manchester City against Man United.

Both teams will finish in the top six, meaning the only Europa Conference League spot will go to the team that finishes the campaign seventh rather than sixth.

Thus, whoever finishes seventh this year will participate in the Europa Conference League and enter the final phase of the play-offs.

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The Conference League is UEFA’s last competition, and next year will only be the third campaign.

English clubs have enjoyed success in the tournament so far, which should encourage the contending teams to finish seventh this year.

Last season Leicester advanced to the semi-finals, where they were beaten by eventual Roma winners Jose Mourinho, while West Ham are in the final this year and are one game away from European glory.

Therefore, a seventh place finish for Aston Villa, Brighton or Brentford would see those clubs win European football and a chance to win silverware next season.

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