Equation: How each Aussie earns Champions League spot, promotion or avoids relegation
We take a look at what every Aussie needs to achieve for their respective sides to earn a UEFA Champions League or Europa spot or avoid relegation as we close in on the business end of the season.
Starting off with Aaron Mooy and Maty Ryan whose Brighton & Hove Albion currently occupy 15th spot on the English Premier League ladder with seven matches still to be played.
The south coast club have 33 points to their name and have a five point buffer over 16th placed Watford and are six points clear of Bournemouth who sit in one of the three relegation spots.
Brighton have one of the most challenging run-ins, they still have to face off against the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Manchester City.
This means that more emphasis will have to be placed on gaining maximum points from their other clashes, beginning with their fixture against bottom of the ladder Norwich City on Saturday.
They will be hoping to confirm their place in the 2020/21 Premier League season prior to their trip to Burnley on the final matchday.
In the English Championship, Massimo Luongo’s Sheffield Wednesday are situated in 13th place on the league table with seven rounds remaining.
They have 52 points to their name and 10 points separates themselves from the relegation zone.
Unless Sheffield put together a string of wins to end the campaign then they can expect to secure a mid-table finish with Luongo’s side most likely not going to face the drop or make up the gap to qualify for the playoffs.
Brad Smith and his Cardiff City occupy 6th position and sit in the last playoff spot.
Their remaining fixtures see them go head to head with a host of mid-table sides however they still have to face playoff rivals Fulham and Derby.
Over in Israel and Nikita Rukavytsya and Trent Sainsbury’s Maccabi Haifa sit in 2nd place on the Israeli Premier League ladder with three matches still to be played.
Haifa have already confirmed their place as this season’s runners up thanks to a spectacular run which has seen them win three on the bounce.
League leaders Maccabi Tel Aviv have 81 points to their name and are 12 points better off than Haifa with three round remaining which means that they have already secured the title as well as the sole UEFA Champions League first qualification round berth on offer.
Finishing in 2nd spot means that Haifa will enter the UEFA Europa League first qualification round for next campaign and will be joined by either Beitar Jerusalem or Hapoel Be’er Sheva.
In the Danish Superligaen, Awer Mabil’s Midtjylland sit top of the league ladder on 72 points with six matches remaining.
They hold an 11 point lead over second placed FC Kobenhavn who they defeated 2-1 in their last outing on Sunday.
Barring any major screw-ups, they appear on course to secure the league championship and will enter the Champions League second qualification round for next season.
Alex Gersbach and Mustafa Amini’s AGF Aarhus occupy 3rd place in the Danish top flight.
They are six points ahead of fourth placed Brondby and seven points behind Kobenhavn.
The Aussie duo still have to play the men from the capital twice in their remaining six matches while their final fixture of the season against Brondby could make for interesting viewing if their fate is still hanging in the balance.
If they do manage to tie up 3rd place then they will enter the Europa League playoffs, however, if they finish 4th, they will not get the opportunity to feature in Europe next season.
Heading to the Turkish SuperLig and Aziz Behich’s Istanbul Basaksehir sit top of the league on 60 points with five fixtures remaining.
They hold a two point advantage over second placed Trabzonspor and appear likely to secure the championship with all their remaining fixtures arriving against sides in the bottom half of the table.
If they were to win the title it would also mean that they will also have the added bonus of securing direct passage to next season’s Champions League.
In the Austrian Bundesliga, James Jeggo’s Austria Wien have already secured a place in the Europa League playoff Semi Final as they look likely to finish top of the relegation group.
A win against second placed Altach on Wednesday morning will confirm their top of the table finish in the group.
There are also a couple of Socceroos stars who have already completed their respective campaigns.
Milos Degenek’s season ended just under a fortnight ago. His FK Crvena zvezda won the Serbian SuperLiga and celebrated their title triumph in front of a packed out stadium on the final matchday.
The league title means that his side have earnt a place in next season’s Champions League qualification rounds.
The German Bundesliga finished last weekend so that meant that Socceroos duo Mathew Leckie and Brandon Borrello ended their campaigns for their respective clubs.
Leckie’s Hertha Berlin finished the season in 10th place while Borrello’s SC Freiburg came 8th and were one place out of securing a position in the Europa League qualifiers.
