The Premier League's hopes of securing a fifth club in next season's Champions League are hanging by a thread after Arsenal and Manchester City's damaging setbacks.

UEFA is set to introduce a revamped tournament next season, increasing the number of participating teams. The coefficient ranking will decide which major leagues will see their spots increase from four to five.

The English top flight found itself vying with Italy and Germany's leagues for these coveted positions. Serie A has all but confirmed its top spot, leaving the Premier League and Bundesliga to battle for second place.

England had five clubs still competing in Europe earlier this week - one more than Germany - but that number could dwindle to just one by Friday morning, reports the Mirror. Arsenal fell to Bayern Munich, who triumphed 1-0 at the Allianz Arena and 3-2 on aggregate. Reigning champions City, meanwhile, were knocked out by Real Madrid on penalties in Manchester after a 1-1 draw on the night (4-4 on aggregate).

Newly crowned Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen are heavily tipped to dash West Ham's Europa League dreams on Thursday given their two-goal advantage. Liverpool also face an uphill battle to overturn a 3-0 deficit against Atalanta. This could leave Europa Conference League hopefuls Aston Villa as the sole team representing England and the Premier League after beating Lille 2-1 at home last week.

What is your reaction to the Premier League sides' performance in this season's Champions League? Let us know in the comment section below

Germany, on the other hand, still have Bayern, Borussia Dortmund and Leverkusen in contention. They're narrowly leading on points and look set to extend their advantage in the next round.

This situation leaves Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur as the two clubs most impacted. The race for the top four has morphed into a scramble for the fifth spot this season, with Spurs currently occupying that position, three points adrift of Unai Emery's high-flying side.

Manchester United appear to be out of the running for a Champions League berth. The team that ends up in fifth place in the Premier League will likely face a year of Thursday night football in the Europa League. Securing a Champions League spot would be a significant achievement for Villa, who are still in contention to win the Europa Conference League.

Tottenham, on the other hand, have been striving to demonstrate that there is life after Harry Kane under the impressive leadership of Ange Postecoglou in north London. They have one game in hand over Villa, but they must play all of the top three teams before the season concludes.

It also impacts the number of positions in the table which would qualify for Europe, meaning 8th is not set to earn any Premier League team European football next season now. The likes of Newcastle, Chelsea and West Ham are battling for those remaining spots.