What Liverpool needs to do to make history with their 39th Premier League game
Liverpool’s season might still have some surprises left on Sunday, if something very rare happens in the Premier League. The Reds, who are currently fifth, will face Brentford at Anfield in their last game of the 2025/26 season.
A draw will be enough for manager Arne Slot’s team to secure a spot in the Champions League, since sixth-placed Bournemouth is three points behind them going into the final game. Bournemouth will be playing Nottingham Forest at the City Ground, but Forest have already secured their safety and have no stakes in the game.
Even if Liverpool lose and Bournemouth win, Liverpool should still keep fifth place because they have a better goal difference. Liverpool’s goal difference is +10, while Bournemouth’s is +4.
There’s one very unlikely scenario, though, that could lead to a historic 39th Premier League match. If Bournemouth beats Nottingham Forest by five goals and Liverpool loses to Brentford by one goal, the two teams would be tied on points, goal difference, and goals scored.
The league’s next tiebreaker is the head-to-head record, but both teams have beaten each other once this season. The final tiebreaker is away goals, but both sides scored two away goals in their matches.
Liverpool won 4-2 at home against Bournemouth at the season’s start, while Bournemouth won 3-2 at home in January. This would mean a playoff match at a neutral venue to decide who gets the last Champions League spot – something that has never happened before in the Premier League.
Bournemouth could still qualify for the Champions League by finishing sixth, but only if Liverpool moves ahead of Aston Villa on the final day. Villa already have a spot thanks to winning the Europa League, so if they finish fifth, the Champions League place from the league goes to the sixth-placed team.
With lots of fans and experts doing the calculations, the final day of the Premier League season kicks off at 4 pm on Sunday. It should be an exciting finish!