Manchester United are on the verge of returning to the Champions League after Brighton’s 3-1 loss to Newcastle on Saturday.
ESPN breaks down what needs to happen now in order for them to fully secure a place in Europe’s top-tier competition.
Man United are sitting third in the Premier League table on 61 points with four games left to go. Five teams from the Premier League can qualify for the Champions League this season and only Bournemouth could deny Man United a spot.
Andoni Iraola’s side have 49 points, which means that they mathematically could equal Man United’s points tally but only if United lose all of their remaining games and Bournemouth win all of theirs.
United need only one more point to secure a top-five finish — which is enough for Champions League football this season — as that would put them on 62 points while Bournemouth are only able to reach 61 this season.
Even if United were to lose all of their remaining games and Bournemouth win all of theirs, the latter would still have to ensure they bettered United’s goal difference, which is currently at +14. Bournemouth’s goal difference ahead of their game against Crystal Palace on Sunday is zero.
It means that Michael Carrick’s side might already have secured Champions League qualification before half-time in their game against Liverpool at 3.30 p.m. BST on Sunday — anything less than a win for Bournemouth against Palace in the 2 p.m. BST kick-off would confirm it.
After facing rivals Liverpool, United’s remaining games are against Sunderland, Nottingham Forest and Brighton.
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Being just one point away from securing a top five finish and, therefore, Champions League football with four games to go is a very good position for United to be in — particularly considering they finished 15th last season.
Since Carrick took over as interim coach following the departure of Ruben Amorim in January, United have enjoyed a remarkable run of form with nine wins in 13 games.
