UEFA coefficient explained as Man United, Tottenham and Aston Villa suffer Champions League blow

The Premier League’s hopes of securing a fifth Champions League spot took a major hit on Wednesday night.

A new Champions League format will be used from next season, which will allow four extra teams to enter the competition. Two of those spots will be handed to the nations with the highest UEFA coefficient ranking, which is based on their clubs’ performance in Europe this season.

In the coefficient system, points are awarded for positive results and advancing to the next stage of UEFA competitions. A nation’s average is calculated by dividing the total points by the number of their clubs competing in Europe; eight in England’s case. The largest bonus points are awarded in the earlier rounds of the Champions League and are scaled down in the other competitions, though all become equally important at this stage in the season.

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After recovering from Manchester United and Newcastle’s early exits in the Champions League, England sat second in the coefficient rankings, in front of Germany, heading into the quarter-final stages. In the Premier League, United have been banking on England securing an extra Champions League spot, given their marginal hopes of finishing fifth, sitting 10 points behind Tottenham Hotspur with six games remaining.

However, Arsenal and Manchester City both lost their respective quarter-finals on Wednesday, damaging England’s chances of a fifth spot. Liverpool and West Ham are also at risk of exiting the Europa League. In the Europa Conference League, Aston Villa are the only English side to hold a