Man City ban lifted: How it affects Chelsea, Man Utd, Leicester, and Wolves in Champions League race
Manchester City’s ban on UEFA Club competitions for two years has been lifted by the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) as they gave their verdict on Monday, July 13th.
The decision by CAS means that Manchester City have now qualified for next season’s Champions League.
There was a possibility that Manchester City’s ban would be upheld and three spots for next season’s Champions League will be fought for by Chelsea, Leicester City, Manchester United, and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
However, with the new decision comes new realities for these four teams who now have two spots available for Champions League football.
The implication for each team
1 Chelsea
Frank Lampard was appointed manager of Chelsea just with a year experience, losing best player Eden Hazard and also a transfer ban. He has done well to get them into Champions League contention and just needs two wins from the three games left against Norwich City, Liverpool, and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Verdict – qualify for Champions League
2 Leicester City
Leicester City had such a comfortable lead in the Champions League places at the break de to Coronavirus. However, since the return, Brendan Rodgers’s side has struggled with only one win in six Premier League games and their Champions League hopes are vanishing. It doesn’t get any easier for Leicester City who have to win all their remaining games against Sheffield United, Tottenham Hotspur, and Manchester United in order to qualify.
Verdict- No Champions League
3 Manchester United
Of these four teams still in contention, Manchester United are the only team that still has four games to play in The Premier League and why they are favourites for one of the two spots available provided they win against Southampton.
Since Bruno Fernandes arrived at Manchester United, the team has gone through a resurgence and also an easy schedule that puts them back in contention. Victory against Southampton takes them to third with easy games against Crystal Palace and West Ham United to come. If they win those, the last game against Leicester City will all but be a formality.
Verdict – qualify for Champions League
4 Wolverhampton Wanderers
No one expected Wolverhampton Wanderers to be in contention for Champions League football this season which a testament to the good work done by Nuno Espirito Santo.
However now that only two spots are available, they are four points behind fourth place with just three games left against Burnley, Crystal Palace, and Chelsea which is almost an impossible mission.
Verdict – No Champions League
