Will the Premier League have five Champions League places again?

It is in a pretty strong spot right now – but the table will look very different in just over a week’s time.

Much will depend on the final two rounds of matches in the Champions League and Europa League.

Poland is in first place but all four of its teams have played in the Conference League, and one has been eliminated. With that competition having wrapped up its league phase, Poland will score no points in January and will slide down the table.

Because of the number of bonus points available in the Champions League, it is highly improbable a league outside of the traditional top five will claim one of the EPS places.

England is in second and is 1.201 points ahead of Germany. In real terms, that’s four victories and a draw for Bundesliga clubs.

But England has more teams in Europe – nine to Germany’s seven – so each win is worth less to its average score.

For that reason England has to keep as many clubs active as possible, or other leagues can chip away at its score.

It is highly likely that eight English clubs will continue in the Champions League and the Europa League, and therefore pick up hefty bonus points. Crystal Palace are already through to the Conference League knockout play-off round.

Germany could lose both Bayer Leverkusen and Eintracht Frankfurt from the Champions League, which would strengthen England’s position.

Cyprus is not a realistic contender with only three teams left active – and Pafos could be eliminated from the Champions League.

As two leagues get the extra Champions League spots, Germany and another country would need to overtake the Premier League – and there is a big gap.

Italy trail England by eight wins. For Spain, it’s nine wins and a draw.

For Italy, Juventus and Napoli have struggled in the Champions League but should ensure a full complement of teams go through.

Spain, which has eight teams in Europe, will almost certainly lose Villarreal from the Champions League. Athletic Club could drop out too, while Celta Vigo’s progress in the Europa League is also uncertain.

It is not over, however. If English clubs were to suffer poor results in the knockout play-off round and last 16, that could open the door. Results for other leagues would soon start to add up.

It is looking very good, but nothing is certain.