Premier League teams will MISS 5th Champions League spot as it stands after Man Utd's horror start to the season

PREMIER LEAGUE teams are set to lose a spot in next season's Champions League thanks in part to Manchester United's poor start to the European season, it has been revealed.

However, that extra slot comes with the condition of teams from England performing well in Europe THIS SEASON.

With the competition expanding from 32 to 36 teams, two of the extra places are determined by which countries have performed best on the continent.

Ranking points are awarded for every game played across all three competitions, divided by the number of participating clubs, with the top two nations being rewarded with extra spots.

Uefa has dubbed this rule "European Performance Spots".

And things are not looking good for that sought-after fifth spot next season.

Back-to-back defeats for Man Utd have left them bottom of their Champions League Group, while Arsenal, Brighton and Aston Villa have all tasted defeat in their respective campaigns so far.

While the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and West Ham boast 100 per cent records, it fails to make up for their underperforming rivals.

The key thing with these rankings is that previous wins in the competition count for nothing, with only the nation's overall performance from that season under scrutiny.

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That means Man City and West Ham's respective triumphs last season and Chelsea's 2021 UCL win count for squat.

As revealed by The Athletic, this has left England down in 16th in the table.

A total points record of 27 - done before the second week of Europa League and Conference League fixtures - was divided by eight teams to give England a value of 3.375.

Meanwhile, Turkey - where Galatasaray who beat Man Utd hail from - tops the list, with Belgium - where Union Saint-Gilloise who lost to Liverpool plays - coming in second.

This low ranking even has England behind relative footballing minnows such as Iceland and Israel.

Fortunately, there is a long way to go, with four games left for the likes of Man Utd to salvage their European campaign.

Champions League chasers such as Tottenham, may be hoping for an improvement in rivals' European fortunes, even if it is ultimately to serve their own long-term needs with potential qualification.