In full final sprint through the European squares with the Betis and the Villarreal, Real are going to face two other unexpected threats that can greatly complicate their options to return to Europe, the great goal set by the club at the beginning of the season. The possibility that the Villarreal or the grenade, course much more complicated because they lost in the first leg 0-2 against the United, conquer the Europa League in which they are immersed or that the Athletic win the Cup final against Barça on Saturday, they would reduce the options of the Txuri Urdin to return to travel to the European continent. And what to say if both premises end up being fulfilled. We explain it.
Spain has seven European places assigned by its UEFA ranking, four of which are for the Champions League, two for the UEFA Europe
League and one for the new Conference League created by the highest European body and which will be released next season. That number of places is unchangeable, regardless of the successes of the Spanish clubs this year. They cannot grow, nor can they be reduced.
What happens then if, for example, Villarreal ends up winning this edition of the UEFA Europa League? According to article 3.07 of the competition regulations, the Unai
Emery They would play the Champions League next season, in which they would enter the group stage, which would cause the League to have five representatives in the highest competition (Athletic, Real
Madrid, Barça, Seville Y Villarreal Today).
This circumstance, however, does not imply that Spain will keep the two places assigned to the UEFA Europa League, since that same article 3.07 makes it clear that in such a case the two places would be reduced to one, with priority for assigning that vacancy to the champion of Cup ahead, in this case, of the fifth classified in the domestic championship.
The worst case scenario
So, if Athletic also managed to prevail this Saturday in La Cartuja at Barça In the 2020/21 Cup final, it would be the rojiblancos who would play the next UEFA Europa League, leaving only one place available in the Conference League that would have to play the Real and the Betis. It could happen then that the fifth classified obtained as a prize a place in the competition of less relevance. The worst possible scenario.
If, on the other hand, the team of Ronald
Koeman In the final, as Barça was classified for the Champions League, the place in the UEFA Europa League would go to the fifth place, playing the sixth place in the Conference League.
There is also the possibility that the Villarreal or Granada do not win the UEFA Europa League, but the Athletic Conquer the Cup. Then Marcelino's men would obtain a place in this competition as tournament champions, being the fifth classified in the league championship who would accompany the rojiblancos in the second relevant European competition, while the sixth would dispute the new Conference League.
If, on the other hand, it is Barça that imposes itself, as indicated in article 3.04 of the UEFA regulations for the Europa League, having a place in the Champions League, its vacancy in the Europa League would be filled by the first team of the League that he did not have a European place, in this case the sixth classified, who would play the second European competition together with the fifth, then playing the seventh in the Conference League. This is undoubtedly the most desired scenario because with eight income points above the eighth, the grenade, playing in Europe next season would be almost guaranteed.
Therefore, the only sure thing is that today only the fifth place guarantees to play a European competition next season. From there, and depending on what happens in the Europa League with him grenade and the Villarreal, which tomorrow will play the second leg of the quarterfinals against Dynamo from Zagreb With the 0-1 advantage achieved in the first leg, and on Saturday in the Cup final, the road to Europe may be more or less complex. That, in any case, no longer depends on the Real.