<
>

Premier League: Champions League race, battle against relegation

Manchester City wrapped up the Premier League title with a month to spare, while Manchester United and Tottenham have secured top-four finishes. At the other end, Stoke and West Brom have been relegated.

Here is what is still at stake.

European places

Who qualifies for the Champions League: Positions 1-4 (group stage)
Who's in already: Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur

Who qualifies for Europa League: Positions 5-6 (group stage); 7 (second qualifying round)
Who's in already: Arsenal (group stage), Burnley (second qualifying round)

Still to be decided: One Champions League place, one Europa League

As it stands: 4. Liverpool (72), 5. Chelsea (70)

A change to the Champions League access rules next season means the top four teams in the Premier League will go straight into the group stage. No longer does the fourth-placed team have to negotiate a qualifying playoff.

Chelsea's failure to beat Huddersfield on Wednesday makes it very simple: They must win away to Newcastle and hope Liverpool lose at home to Brighton to qualify for the Champions League.

Liverpool just need a point to secure a top-four finish.

If Liverpool win the Champions League and finish 5th, then the Premier League will have five teams in the Champions League and two in the Europa, just like this season.

Burnley will start out in the Europa League a round earlier than in previous seasons. And that means a European campaign beginning on July 26 -- 11 days after the World Cup final. They reached the quarterfinals of the European Cup in 1960-61 (although did also compete in the 1966-67 Fairs Cup).

Relegation

Who goes down: Positions 18-20
Who's already relegated: Stoke, West Brom
Who's still in contention: Swansea (33, -27), Southampton (36, -18)

Huddersfield's fine point at Chelsea means they are now safe, and it's down to two teams for relegation. That said, Swansea have next to no chance to save themselves.

Swansea must win at home to Stoke and hope Southampton lose at home to Manchester City. But it's not as simple as that. There also needs to be a 10-goal swing due to Swansea's vastly inferior goal difference. So, for instance, Swansea would need to win 4-0 and Southampton lose 6-0. It's incredibly unlikely.

Championship promotion

Who goes up: Position 1-2, plus one of 3-6 via playoffs
Who's already up: Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cardiff City
Who is in the playoffs: Fulham vs. Derby, Aston Villa vs. Middlesbrough

Wolves have won promotion back to the Premier League as champions at a canter, while Cardiff secured second. The playoff final will take place on May 26.