as i understand it:
* league places 1 - 4 go into the champs league
* 5th place join europa cup in play off round.
* league cup winners join europa cup the 3rd qualifying round unless the winner is already in europe through one of the ways mentioned above. then it's the 6th placed prem team.
* fa cup winners also join in the play off round, unless the winner is already in europe by any above mentioned way, then it goes to the runner up, unless they are also already in by the any other way. then to the next team in the league not already in a European competition gets it. (i.e. 7th place.)
* fair play winners enter in qualifying round 1 like we did.
* uefa cup winners from this year enter the europa league in the group stages.
so we need united to win the league cup to open up 6th place and then the two FA cup finalists to have already qualified by being in the top 6 to open up 7th place.
and i think if an English team win the uefa cup it would open up 8th place aswell. as there seems to be a place allocated for the winners, unlike in the champs league.
unless it works the other way. for example they take the place away from the 7th placed team and give it to the uefa cup winners. it doesn't seem clear on this.
fuck it lets just win it, makes life simpler.
