With the end of the 2024/25 Premier League season approaching, the scramble for UEFA Champions League football has once again reached the needle-in-a-haystack stages only seen in the closest of competitive years.
In fact, with the changes in the rankings system by UEFA, England received an additional slot, which means that five teams from the Premier League will participate in Europe’s top competition in the 2025–26 season. Using the latest table standings and accumulated data, here are the challengers, plus the long shots, and their latest odds to finish in the top-five.
Liverpool and Arsenal: Near Certainties
Liverpool and Arsenal will play in the Champions League next season. Both clubs have been strong throughout the season and are all but assured of a spot according to every simulation, consistently landing in the top three. Safe bets based on their squads, depth, and form, while what happens behind them is the real drama.
Newcastle United: Gaining Ground
A resurgent Newcastle, who thrashed Crystal Palace 5-0 on the weekend, have become favourites to finish third. Eddie Howe’s men are expected to play Champions League, according to Cheekypunter’s favorite football sportsbooks. CheekyPunter is a renowned betting site reviewer, providing in-depth information on various websites for the sake of punters.
With their impressive victories, strong showings, and strategic poise, they have leapfrogged a few teams that were well ahead of them in the early season betting. Newcastle is also starting to get bargains with a much easier run-in.
Manchester City: Still in the Mix
Perhaps a slight tilt down the table, Manchester City are still expected to finish in a place for Champions League qualification. Man City is in an unusual rut at a vital time of year, but their squad is too good, and their season-soaking experience is too extensive to see them anything other than the top five here.
City’s recent slip is intriguing: while they average 66.9 points in simulations — third-best overall — Nottingham Forest and Chelsea are now close enough to be mixing it up, too.
Related: Luka Modrić and Rodrygo: Real Madrid’s Unsung Heroes of European Success
Nottingham Forest: The Surprise Package
What a season it has been for Forest. While they lost a bit of steam recently, they are still well within the mix. The chance of a top-five finish fell to 72.7% after two consecutive losses, down from a 91.5% peak set earlier in the month.
They still average a more than respectable 66.2 points in simulations, with only Newcastle and City ahead of them, and teams such as Chelsea and Aston Villa behind them. Should Forest eventually return to the top of their game, they could return to European football’s premier club competition for the first time since their glory days towards the end of the twentieth century.
Aston Villa and Chelsea: The Outsiders
The race for the top four is tight between Aston Villa and Chelsea, though both their Champions League dreams are now hanging in the balance. Villa have won four league games in a row, but teams above them are also getting results.
Likewise, Chelsea’s odds have fallen from 51.3 percent two weeks ago to only 25.6 percent. A string of recent draws has been costly, and they will need to go close to perfect to squeeze ahead of Forest or City.
Final Prediction
By following how trends have gone this season so far, Liverpool, Arsenal, Newcastle, Manchester City, and Nottingham Forest will be England’s representatives in the Champions League.
