Aston Villa can punch a sixth Champions League ticket for the Premier League by beating Freiburg in the Europa League final on Wednesday and then finishing fifth. The Premier League's existing fifth UCL spot comes through UEFA's European Performance Spots, but that would expand to six if Aston Villa claim their first major European trophy since 1982 and stay in the top five.

Bournemouth, sitting sixth, and Brighton, seventh, are both desperate for Villa to win. Currently, Liverpool are three points ahead of Bournemouth with a superior goal difference, meaning Liverpool look all but locked into fifth place unless Villa's victory reshuffles the order. A Villa win combined with a fifth-place finish pushes Bournemouth into the Champions League and Brighton up to Europa League.

If Villa finish fourth and win the Europa League, the UCL spots stay at five. But a Villa fifth-place finish combined with a Europa League triumph opens the door for Bournemouth to reach the Champions League—a scenario that has Bournemouth and Brighton watching Wednesday's match with everything on the line.