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After they were humiliated at Brentford on the second weekend of the season, many suspected 2022/23 would be a matter of how bad it would get for Manchester United as opposed to what they could achieve.
But new manager Erik ten Hag has worked his magic at Old Trafford and helped reinstall an identity synonymous with the most successful Premier League club ever. Man Utd have returned to winning ways under their Dutch boss, with Ten Hag leading them to Carabao Cup glory back in February.
His project in Manchester is only getting started, but the Red Devils could yet finish the campaign with three pieces of silverware and a top-four berth.
Their Premier League season has been anything but plain sailing, yet they’re still in an excellent position to return to the Champions League.
Ten Hag’s United have a busy schedule ahead, with Premier League commitments complemented by
Europa League and FA Cup duties.
Tottenham and Aston Villa are their next two Premier League outings, followed by tricky looking trips to Brighton, who are doing really well this season, and West Ham, who are not doing so well.
There’s also the small matter of facing in-form Bournemouth away from home, though that game is proceeded by a winnable looking Old Trafford meeting with Wolves. Fulham round off the season when they travel to Manchester, with a clash against struggling Chelsea also still to be squeezed into the calendar.
|
Date |
Fixture |
Kick-Off Time |
|---|---|---|
|
27/04/23 |
Tottenham vs Man Utd |
20:15 |
|
30/04/23 |
Man Utd vs Aston Villa |
14:00 |
|
04/05/23 |
Brighton vs Man Utd |
20:00 |
|
07/05/23 |
West Ham vs Man Utd |
19:00 |
|
13/05/23 |
Man Utd vs Wolves |
15:00 |
|
20/05/23 |
Bournemouth vs Man Utd |
15:00 |
|
28/05/23 |
Man Utd vs Fulham |
16:30 |
|
TBC |
Man Utd vs Chelsea |
TBC |
Newcastle currently occupy fourth spot and are three points adrift of Man Utd in third. Tottenham sit in fifth but their woes mean it’s unlikely that they’ll put up much of a fight down the stretch.
The greater threat to United’s top-four berth is Aston Villa, who are on an absolute roll under Unai Emery and will visit Old Trafford at the end of April. Brighton are also firmly in the race and will be well-placed should they win their games in hand.
Liverpool are a long way off, but you shouldn’t count out the Reds just yet.
The average points haul required, since the Premier League were awarded four Champions League qualification spots, is 69.66.
That’s a figure that Ten Hag‘s side are pretty close to already, with just ten points required from the club’s final eight games to match it. Given their run of recent form, you’d anticipate United to breach the 70-point barrier, comfortably securing their place at Europe’s top table.
If Man Utd win the Europa League, they will qualify automatically for next season’s Champions League.
However, if they finish in the top four and win the competition, their place in the Champions League will not be transferred to another team.
