Premier League closing gap on Spain as Austria lose automatic Champions League spot as Uefa coefficient list is revealed
PREMIER LEAGUE clubs are closing in on Spain in the Uefa rankings after strong performances in Europe this season.
The governing body’s coefficient system charts progress over five seasons to allocate places in its competitions to the strongest divisions.
And with six out of seven Prem teams remaining in the Champions and Europa League, the gap to runaway leader La Liga is closing.
In the 2013-14 season, the English top-flight was poorly represented in Europe but as of this campaign those results to not count.
So, despite performing slightly worse than their Spanish rivals, the Prem is closer to top spot.
At least one club will be knocked out in the Champions League quarter-finals with Manchester City facing Tottenham.
Plus, Manchester United are staring at an exit after losing at home to Barcelona yesterday, while Arsenal face a tough test against Napoli.
Liverpool will back themselves against Porto after taking a first-leg lead and Chelsea fans minnows Slavia Prague.
The Premier League is currently awarded seven places for its position in the rankings , alongside La Liga, Serie A and the Bundesliga.
Significantly, Austria has dropped into 11th below the Eredivisie.
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The change means the Dutch top-flight champions will qualify automatically for next season’s Champions League.
Austria has no teams remaining in competition, while Ajax are up against Serie A giants Juventus.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s opener was cancelled out by David Neres in a 1-1 draw in Amsterdam.