Why Manchester United and Spurs are battling to become the new Stoke
Manchester United and Spurs could still create history by qualifying for the Champions League despite being historically abysmal in the Premier League.
Both clubs remain in the Europa League and are among the favourites to win a competition which guarantees the champions passage into the following season’s Champions League.
Manchester United host Real Sociedad in the second leg of a last-16 tie locked at 1-1, while Spurs must overcome a miserable 1-0 defeat to AZ Alkmaar if they wish to progress to the quarter-finals.
Only goal difference separates the two teams in the Premier League table, with Spurs and Manchester United 13th and 14th respectively, four points behind Brentford and one ahead of Everton and West Ham.
That opens up the entirely plausible prospect of either side qualifying for European competition despite finishing in the bottom half domestically, which while uncommon is not unheard of; West Ham did it a couple of years ago.
Even Champions League quarter-finalists Aston Villa could just about feasibly win the tournament and qualify for the 2025/26 iteration as champions while experiencing a substantial drop-off in the Premier League; they are eighth but Bournemouth are a point behind and Fulham are three back with a game in hand.
The lowest-ranked teams to qualify for the following season’s Champions League were Chelsea in 2011/12 and Manchester United in 2016/17, who both finished sixth in the Premier League but found alternative paths by winning European competitions.
But teams have been relegated before while glancing at flight prices for their impending continental journey; a couple weren’t even in the top flight at all. The following sides have qualified for European competition in the Premier League era despite finishing 10th or lower.
