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How Man City & Arsenal could hand Newcastle United major Champions League boost after UEFA rule change

Arsenal and Manchester City are preparing for crucial Champions League quarter-final matches as their Premier League rivals watch on.

Manchester City and Arsenal could have a major say in the battle for Champions League and European qualification in the Premier League as they prepare for their quarter-final matches this evening (8pm kick-off).

Arsenal drew with Bayern Munich in their quarter-final first leg match while Man City were held by Real Madrid. The results could have a significant impact on whether it is England or Germany who get an extra Champions League place for next season.

A UEFA rule change will see the two leagues whose clubs perform the best overall in the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League competitions in 2023-24 granted an extra Champions League spot for the 2024-25 campaign.

After Newcastle United and Manchester United both exited the Champions League at the group stage, it has been up to the likes of Arsenal and Man City to make amends and help England earn that extra place in next season’s competition.

An extra Champions League place will also see the Europa League and Europa Conference League places drop further down the league table. In the Premier League, this could mean a side finishing as low as eighth could qualify for Europe next season.

Newcastle currently sit sixth in the Premier League table, 10 points behind Tottenham Hotspur in fifth and 13 behind Aston Villa in fourth.

But England currently sit behind Italy and Germany in the 2023-24 UEFA country coefficients that will decide which two leagues get the extra spot. And with Borussia Dortmund progressing to the semi-final of the Champions League, wins for Arsenal and Man City could be vital in seeing England leapfrog Germany into second place.

West Ham’s 2-0 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen and Liverpool’s 3-0 loss against Atalanta put more pressure on the likes of Man City and Arsenal in the Champions League as well as Aston Villa in the Europa League.

Despite no Italian teams remaining in the Champions League, Serie A is almost certain to be granted an extra qualification place for next season with a current coefficient of 18.428. Italy have at least one side guaranteed to reach the semi-final of the Europa League as AC Milan face AS Roma in the quarter-final.

And with Atalanta’s first-leg win over Liverpool, two sides in the final four looks likely. Fiorentina are also in the latter stages of the Conference League.

English clubs have accumulated a total of 134.000 points this season which leaves a coefficient score of 16.750 when divided by the number of clubs competing. Germany currently have a coefficient score of 17.214 while Italy’s is 18.428.

Wins for both Manchester City and Arsenal would move England above Germany in the coefficient rankings with a score of at least 17.500.

Here is a breakdown of this season’s coefficient rankings of all Premier League clubs competing in Europe...

1 . Manchester City - 27.000 Champions League holders Manchester City have the highest coefficient score of any side in Europe this season having won all but one of their games in the competition so far this season. The 3-3 draw with Real Madrid in the first leg of their quarter-final clash stopped City from reaching the 28 point maximum possible at this stage of the competition. They will be looking to progress with a win that will take them up to at least 30.000 points. Photo Sales
2 . Arsenal - 22.000 Arsenal have a score of 22.000 so far this season. 13 for winning their Champions League group with four wins and a draw, five for progressing to the last-16 where they earned a further two points for beating Porto in the second leg and progressing on penalties. They earned a point for competing in the quarter-final against Bayern Munich with a first leg draw awarding them another point. A win on Wednesday night would take Arsenal up to a coefficient score of at least 25.000. Photo Sales
3 . Liverpool - 18.000 Liverpool have picked up 18.000 coefficient points and could still earn more despite being on the brink of a Europa League quarter-final exit. The Reds earned 12 points from finishing top of their group with four wins and two losses. A total of five points for winning home and away against Sparta Prague in the last-16 of the competition and a further point for playing the quarter-final against Atalanta, where they were beaten 3-0. Photo Sales
4 . West Ham United - 18.000 The Hammers have picked up 18.000 so far as a result of reaching the Europa League quarter-final. West Ham earned 14 points for winning their group with five wins and one defeat. They picked up a further three points for their last-16 success over Freiburg despite losing the first leg. They earned another point for playing Bayer Leverkusen in the quarter-final but were beaten 2-0 in the second leg. David Moyes' side will have to become the first side to beat Leverkusen all season should they wish to progress. Photo Sales

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