With Paris Saint-Germain claiming the Coupe de France, the side in sixth place at the end of the 2017-18 Ligue 1 Conforama campaign will claim France’s sixth and final European berth.
The suspense in the race for fifth and sixth places in Ligue 1 Conforama just got even more intense. With Paris Saint-Germain winning the Coupe de France 2-0 against third-division amateurs Les Herbiers on Tuesday, it is now the case that the top six sides in France’s top flight will earn entry into European competition next season.
Indeed, Paris Saint-Germain are assured of a place in the UEFA Champions League group stage next season – thanks to their clinching the Ligue 1 Conforama title – and so now the European place reserved for the Coupe de France winners goes to the fifth-placed side on the Ligue 1 Conforama table. That team will start their campaign in the UEFA Europa League group stage, while the league’s sixth-placed side will claim the final European ticket – a berth in the UEFA Europa League’s third qualifying round.
Plenty of suspense for fifth and sixth
With two matches left to play in the league season, Stade Rennais FC (fifth, 54 points), Saint-Etienne (sixth, 52 points) and OGC Nice (seventh, 51 points), but also Montpellier (eighth, 49 points) and Bordeaux (ninth, 49 points) are in the running for the remaining two Eureopan places. In fact, even Nantes and Guingamp, six points adrift of Sainté, still have a mathematical chance of finishing sixth and gaining a place in next season’s continental jousts.
Which competition for OM?
The other area of European suspense involves OM. If they remain in their current position (fourth in Ligue 1 Conforama), OM will contest the Europa League next season, but if they win the Europa League final against Atlético Madrid on May 16, they will earn a place in the next season’s Champions League. And if they should end up pipping current third-placed side AS Monaco to third, Marseille would find themselves in the Champions League group stage come season 2018-19.
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