UEFA coefficient update as Chelsea, Fulham and Newcastle United given huge European boost

Chelsea and Fulham could have an even greater chance of reaching the Champions League than usual as they battle to sneak into the top four. The Blues were in the top four until their defeat to Brighton over the weekend, and they are now behind both Manchester City and Bournemouth, trailing the former by one point and the latter on goal difference.

As for Fulham, they are five points behind City and four behind both Bournemouth and Chelsea as they continue to enjoy a fine campaign under Marc Silva. Newcastle United are currently in seventh, sitting two points ahead of Fulham at this stage.

The good news for both West London clubs is that there could be a way into the Champions League without finishing inside the top four. That’s because UEFA now awards an additional place in the Champions League for the top two performing associations in Europe relative to the number of teams each association has in European competition.

The change came into play last season, although England did not benefit from the extra place last season, with Germany and Italy grabbing the extra spots.

UEFA ranks associations with coefficient points, and they are awarded based on club performance in the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League. This season, England is currently leading the rankings with 106.624 points, comparing to Italy’s 93.168 points and Spain’s 88.596 points.

That could change significantly, given there is plenty of time remaining in all three competitions, but as things stand, fifth place would be enough to secure a Champions League spot in the Premier League, and that has been boosted by Atalanta and AC Milan both being eliminated from the Champions League on Tuesday night. That will mean second placed Italy now have less access to coefficient points going forward.

With Bayern Munich already through and Borussia Dortmund looking like progressing, Germany could rise significantly, while Spain could also climb, especially if Real Madrid finish off Manchester City on Wednesday night - which would also hand a blow to the Premier League’s hopes- and that is only looking at the Champions League, with plenty of points up for grabs in the other competitions.

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