The results of Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League knockout play-offs were good for Spanish teams, mediocre for German teams, and awful for Italian teams. And that's important, because an extra spot for Champions League next season, for the fifth best team in their domestic league, is on the line.
Currently, England leads in the ranking with all 9 of the 9 teams in European competitions qualified for round of 16: Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Newcastle, and Tottenham in Champions League; Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest in Europa League; and Crystal Palace in Conference League.
They comfortably lead the UEFA coefficient that grants an extra UCL slot for the top two teams... so who will take the other slot?
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Spain placed 6 of the 8 teams in European round of 16: Barcelona, Atleti, and Real Madrid in Champions League; Betis and Celta de Vigo in Europa League; and Rayo Vallecano in Conference League.
Germany placed 5 of their 7 teams in European spots: Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen in Champions League; Freiburg and Stuttgart in Europa League; and Mainz 05 in Conference League.
However, Borussia Dortmund was eliminated at this week's round from Champions League, and while Stuttgart qualified, they lost this week's match. This means that while Germany still leads the race for the second spot, with 17,571 points, they have lost ground to Spain, 17,406 points. For reference, England has 22,291 points.
Italy is not that far behind, with 17,357 points. They have Atalanta in Champions League; Bologna and Roma in Europa League; and Fiorentina in Conference League. However, they suffered huge blows with the elimination of Inter and Juve this week from Champions.
The results of Champions, Europa, and Conference round of 16 games on March 10-12 and March 17-19 may decided if Spain overtakes Germany in the race for the extra slot in the Champions League next season. Be sure to follow Friday's draw for round of 16!