sport news The Premier League STILL lags behind Serie A and the Bundesliga in the race for ... trends now
The Premier League is still third in the race for a fifth Champions League spot - but English clubs have a higher possible ceiling than German ones in UEFA's rankings.
English clubs are on track to miss out on another place at Europe's top table behind Serie A and the Bundesliga.
A lot hinges on tonight's Europa League and Europa Conference League matches - particularly West Ham's match against Freiburg, with David Moyes' team down 1-0 from the first leg.
The extra places - called the 'European Performance spots' - are awarded to the two nations that perform best in Europe this season. Italy and Germany occupy those spots as it stands.
The Premier League is still miles ahead on average over the last five seasons, which determines how many European spots we get, but that has no bearing on the special 'additional' places.
Premier League clubs have a higher possible ceiling than the Bundesliga's in Europe this season - but are still behind the German league as it stands
Six English clubs remain in European competitions while just four German clubs are left
Serie A leads the way this season with 16.571 points on average per club, with a maximum possible ceiling of 23.713 if their remaining teams excel.
All of their sides competing in Europe made it out of the group stages, but losing Inter Milan, Napoli, and Lazio in the last 16 of the Champions League is a major blow to them.
AC Milan, Roma, and Atalanta all remain in the Europa League, with the first two in a strong position to progress, while Fiorentina are still in the Europa Conference League.
The Bundesliga sits second with 15.928 points per
