West Ham’s victory over Freiberg in the Europa League has increased Manchester United’s likelihood of qualifying for the Champions League next season. Starting from the 2024/25 season, the Champions League will expand from 32 to 36 teams. The typical four-team group setup will be substituted with a Swiss-style format. Each team will compete in eight matches against eight different opponents in a 36-team league structure, with four matches taking place at home and four away. At the end of this season, UEFA will allocate two additional spots to the top-performing leagues in European competitions. This location could be England, Italy, France, or Germany. Erik ten Hag’s harsh criticism of Liverpool could motivate a performance reminiscent of one of his memorable days managing Manchester United. 14 players are expected to miss a crucial FA Cup match due to injuries, as both Manchester United and Liverpool teams are affected by the absences. This could be positive for United, as they are currently in sixth place in the Premier League standings, trailing Tottenham by five points, who are currently in fifth place. If English teams continue to do better than German teams in Europe, the top five teams are expected to qualify. The last two spots will be for the third-place team in the fifth-ranked domestic league. The last spot will be awarded to the champions’ qualifying path, which will now have five places instead of four. The top two European leagues will be determined by their UEFA coefficient by the season’s end.
