Champions League Play-Off – But Not How The FA Wanted It

A while ago, the FA were planning a Champions League play-off style ruling, where the teams that finished fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh would play-off to decide who would get the final Champions League place.

Such a scheme would have been unfair to the team that finished fourth in future seasons and their plans were rightly rejected by the Premier League clubs, who wanted to stick with the current system.  However, City’s game on Wednesday against Spurs is the best play-off game you could get, without the need for controversial changes to the format.

Both teams have performed well this season and fourth place has swapped between the blues and Spurs, Villa (briefly) and Liverpool but following Villa’s defeat at Eastlands on Saturday and Liverpool’s expected loss at home to Chelsea, the blues go head to head with Spurs in a winner-takes-all game.

Both are away from home in the last game of the season, with neither side relishing their respective trips. City face a tough game at West Ham, who have managed to stave off relegation this season, while Spurs travel Burnley, a team that weren’t as successful as West Ham and will return to the Championship next season.

So Wednesday’s game has a huge meaning for both sides, with the neutrals watching on eagerly to see who will take Liverpool’s Champions League slot, while the scousers will be weeping into their beers, with just the Europa League their only venture into Europe next season.

Whoever wins on Wednesday will deserve their place at Europe’s top table. At the very least, both teams have qualified for Europe next season, so it’s a question of who wants it more? City or Spurs?