Who will be playing European football next season? Analysing Brighton's chances against the likes of Tottenham, Liverpool, Newcastle United and Fulham

Goals from Alexis Mac Allister, Joel Veltman, Karou Mitoma and Danny Welbeck earned Albion their fourth league win in their last seven games, moving them seven points behind fourth-placed Tottenham, with three games in hand.

Brighton have never played European football before, but have put themselves in a fantastic position to do so this season. The club are currently in seventh place and competing with the likes of Tottenham, Liverpool, Newcastle United and Fulham for qualification into one of UEFA’s big three competitions (UEFA Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League).

The top four will qualify for next season’s Champions League group stages, whilst fifth place and the winners of the FA Cup enter the group stages of the Europa League.

The winners of the EFL Cup were also guaranteed a spot in the playoff stages of UEFA Europa Conference League. However, it is likely Manchester United will finish in this season’s top five, meaning place will go to the next-highest ranked team not qualified for UEFA competitions in the Premier League – currently being in sixth place.

If Manchester City, United, Brighton or Fulham were to win the FA Cup and finish in the top six, then sixth place would qualify for the Europa League and seventh for the Conference League.

Currently, Spurs sit in fourth place, despite losing 1-0 to Wolves on Saturday (March 4), whilst Liverpool moved above Newcastle into fifth, following a thumping 7-0 thrashing of arch rivals Manchester United.

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The Magpies extended their winless run in the league to six games after their 2-0 defeat to champions Manchester City. Fulham will have the opportunity to leapfrog Eddie Howe’s side in the table when they make the short journey to face Brentford tonight (March 6).

Here is an assessment on all four teams end-of-season run ins and chances of playing European football next season.

Tottenham (4th) – P: 26 PTS: 45

Fixtures: Nottingham Forest (H) – 11/03, Southampton (A) – 18/03, Everton (A) – 03/04, Brighton (H) – 08/04, Bournemouth (H) – 15/04, Newcastle (A) – 23/04, Manchester United (H) – 27/04, Liverpool (A) – 30/04, Crystal Palace (H) – 06/05, Aston Villa (A) – 13/05, Brentford (H) – 20/05, Leeds (A) – 28/05

Antonio Conte’s side was dealt a massive blow this week by the shock defeat to Wolves and being knocked out of the FA Cup by Championship side Sheffield United.

The result at Molineux as Spurs’ fifth defeat in their last ten league games and makes the league table nervous reading for their supporters, with all three teams below them having games in hand on the North London outfit.

Spurs are currently suffering from a depleted midfield, losing the influential Rodrigo Bentancur for the remainder of the season, while Yves Bissouma is still recovering from surgery on his injured ankle.

The team are also misfiring up top, Son Heung-min has struggled for goals this season, while Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison have two goals between them.

Despite this, Tottenham will take confidence from their run-in, in which they face seven of the bottom nine teams in their last twelve league games.

Brighton at home on April 8 will be the club’s next big test, before a run of Newcastle away, followed by Manchester United at home and Liverpool at Anfield could make or break their Champions League ambitions.

The quality of the squad, set-up by a world class manager and spearheaded by one of the best striker in the league, should see Spurs into a European competition next season.

It is too early to say whether or not that will be the Champions League though.

Liverpool (5th) – P: 25 PTS: 42

Fixtures: Bournemouth (A) – 11/03, Manchester City (A) – 01/04, Chelsea (A) – 04/01, Arsenal (H) – 09/04, Leeds (A) – 17/04, Nottingham Forest (A) – 22/04, West Ham (A) – 26/04, Tottenham (H) – 30/04, Brentford (H) – 06/05, Leicester (A) – 13/05, Aston Villa (H) – 20/05, Southampton (A) – 28/05, Fulham (H) TBC

Following a very shaky start to the season, Liverpool came back with a bang this weekend, demolishing EFL Cup winners Manchester United with the biggest win in the history of the fixture.

Having started 2023 in disastrous fashion with humiliating defeats away at Brentford, Brighton and Wolves; the club has now responded with four wins and a draw in their last five league games, conceding no goals in this period.

This resurgence has been helped by the emergence of new signings Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez. The new signings are beginning to justify their price tags; Gakpo has four goals in his last three games, while Nunez has found the net four times in his last five appearances.

The beginning of April will challenge this transitional squad greatly, trips to champions Manchester City and Chelsea at Stamford Bridge will then be followed be a mouth-watering tie at Anfield against current league leaders Arsenal and then Tottenham at the end of the month.

However, with an expected exit from the Champions League next week, the club will only have the league to focus on. Meaning games against Brentford, Leicester, Villa and Southampton in May could suit the Merseyside club and make them favourites to qualify for the Champions League next season.

Newcastle United (6th) – P: 24 PTS: 41

Fixtures: Wolves (H) – 12/03, Nottingham Forest (A) – 17/03, Man Utd (H) – 02/04, West Ham (A) – 05/04, Brentford (A) – 08/04, Aston Villa (A) – 15/04, Tottenham (H) – 23/04, Everton (A) – 27/04, Southampton (H) – 30/04, Arsenal (H) – 06/05, Leeds (A) – 13/05, Leicester (A) – 20/05, Chelsea (A) – 28/05, Brighton (H) – TBC

Following a strong start to the season, a lack of goals has started to derail the EFL Cup runners-up European ambitions.

Eddie Howe’s men have won one of their seven league games in 2023, scoring just three goals in the process.

The Magpies still have two games in hand on Tottenham, but will need to raise their performances and get the fans on their side for the home games against Manchester United, Tottenham and Arsenal.

But the boys in Black and White will only face one Big Six club away from home in the run-in, when they travel to underperforming Chelsea on the final day of the season.

Whether or not the side has enough strength and depth to be competing with the other teams by then though, remains to be seen.

Fulham (7th) – P: 25 PTS:39

Fixtures: Brentford (A) – 06/03, Arsenal (H) – 12/03, Bournemouth (H) – 01/04, West Ham (H) – 08/04, Everton (A) - 15/04, Leeds (H) – 22/04, Aston Villa (A) - 25/04, Man City (H) – 30/04, Leicester (H) – 06/05, Southampton (A) – 13/05, Crystal Palace (H) – 20/05, Manchester United (H) – 28/05, Liverpool (A) TBC

One of this season’s surprise packages have entered the European discussion after a strong start to the season built on solid defensive shape and proven match winners in attack.

The exceptional form of Kenny Tete, Antonee Robinson and Tim Ream have helped Fulham to concede only five goals in their last ten games. Whilst the forward qualities of João Palhinha, William, Aleksandar Mitrović and January addition Manor Solomon have fired the West London side six victories in that period.

Despite this, a run-in which includes the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool makes it unlikely that season’s Championship winners will qualify for Europe. However, this would have only been an added bonus for a club, whose first priority at the start of the was survival, let alone a top half finish.

Brighton (8th) – P: 23 PTS: 38

Fixtures: Leeds (A) – 11/03, Crystal Palace – 15/03, Brentford (H) – 01/04, Bournemouth (A) – 04/04, Spurs (H) – 08/04, Chelsea (A) – 15/04, Man City (A) – 23/04, Nottingham Forest (A) – 26/04, Wolves (H) – 29/04, Everton (H) – 06/05, Arsenal (A) – 13/05, Southampton (H) – 20/05, Aston Villa (A) – 28/05, Manchester United (H) TBC, Newcastle (A) -TBC

Despite losing their manager in September and selling three of the best players over the course of the season, Albion are seemingly going from strength-to-strength as a football club, with European football now firmly in their sights.

Roberto De Zerbi is settling well into life on the south coast and has only lost one league game in 2023 to fellow overachievers Fulham at the Amex Stadium.

The Seagulls will want to take advantage of their next four league games – Leeds, Crystal Palace, Brentford and Bournemouth – before they welcome Tottenham to the Amex Stadium and then take difficult trips to Stamford Bridge and the Etihad.

Whilst the club has a number of games in hand to play on their competitors, a small squad and piling injury list could de-rail any push for Europe this season.

Furthermore, those re-arranged games are away to Newcastle and home to Manchester United, which could both easily end in defeats for Brighton.