Credit: Imago

Jack Dawson

Thu 8 January 2026 14:00, UK

The race for European football this season is well underway in the Premier League, with multiple clubs aiming to reach both the Champions League and Europa League.

There were multiple key results on Tuesday and Wednesday, which could have a big impact at the top of the table come the end of the season.

Newcastle’s late 4-3 win over Leeds has seen them rise to sixth as they look to qualify for the Champions League for consecutive seasons.

In contrast, Tottenham’s 3-2 defeat to Bournemouth has left them stranded in 14^th, far off the positions needed to qualify for Europe.

Now, predictions have been made about who will qualify for the Champions League and Europa League come the end of the season.

Harvey Barnes puts an end to an all-time Premier League CLASSIC! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/nUMyrjeya9

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 7, 2026

Opta predicts who will qualify for the Champions League and Europa League

With European football being vital to bringing in additional funds and attracting top players, multiple clubs are desperate to achieve this.

Now, Opta on 8 January has made its predictions on who will finish where come the end of the season.

Arsenal, Man City and Aston Villa appear certain to qualify for the Champions League, with the odds of achieving this being 100 per cent, 98.23 per cent and 95.79 per cent.

The race for fourth spot also seems to be Liverpool’s, with the Reds having a 55 per cent chance of qualifying for the Champions League.

Outsiders beat Liverpool to this include Chelsea, Newcastle and Brentford, who have a 13.73 per cent, 11.93 per cent and a 10.55 per cent chance of finishing fourth.

Equally, these sides are the favourites to qualify for the Europa League, with the Reds having an 18.44 per cent chance, the Blues a 17.83 per cent chance, the Magpies a 16.30 per cent chance, and the Bees a 14.53 per cent chance.

Man United and Brighton are also viewed to have a slim chance of getting Europa League football next season at 7.93 per cent and 7.54 per cent.

🔴 @Arsenal could extend their lead at the top of the table to eight points if they manage to defeat Liverpool tomorrow after Man City and Aston Villa dropped points 📈 pic.twitter.com/OuZyZRH525

— Premier League (@premierleague) January 7, 2026

The rest of the sides in the division have less than a five per cent chance of qualifying for the Champions League or the Europa League.

Why has Opta not made Europa Conference League predictions?

One glaring admission in Opta’s European predictions is that of the European Conference League.

Crystal Palace are currently competing in the Conference League, with an English side being in the cup every year since its foundation.

No team is currently predicted to qualify for the competition, despite an English team being set to enter next season.

This is due to the fact that the winner of the Carabao Cup is awarded a place in the Europa Conference League if they do not finish in the European places.

If the winner eventually qualifies for the Champions League or Europa League, then this place is awarded to whoever finishes highest in the Premier League and has not qualified for Europe.