Four in the Champions League, two in the Europa League, one in the Conference League. That's the usual order of things when it comes to Premier League sides qualifying for Europe.
But the ever more complicated UEFA rules around qualification by winning their continental competitions, and the possibility of claiming an extra Champions League spot, mean there are extra places up for grabs if English sides absolutely smash it in Europe...as long as they simultaneously fail to impress in the Premier League.
Normally there wouldn't even be a conversation here - teams who do well in Europe tend to do well in the league as well. But this year it's a real talking point, because both of the Premier League's Europa League representatives are on course for bottom-half finishes, while the entire top half is fighting out the battle for European places.
Let's start from the top, with the Champions League, and work our way down to see how that could happen - and pay attention, because there's a huge number of ifs and maybes to keep track of here.
How the Premier League could get seven Champions League places
The first four places are straightforward: they would go to the sides that finish first, second, third and fourth in the Premier League. Simple enough.
The Premier League is also on course to get the special fifth Champions League place now awarded to the best-performing country in European competition, despite Manchester City's early elimination from the Champions League. That would go to the side that finishes fifth in the Premier League.
If Manchester United or Tottenham Hotspur win the Europa League, they would also receive a berth in the Champions League - and the fact that neither looks at all likely to finish in the top five means that would be another additional place. That would be six sides in the Champions League next season, assuming the Premier League does get that fifth spot.
Finally, the reigning Champions League winners also earn the right to defend their trophy - but that space does not pass down the league if they have already qualified by finishing in the top four/five.
Liverpool and Arsenal look nailed on for the top four - but Aston Villa remain in the Champions League and are currently 10th. Realistically, then, it would need to be them that won the trophy this year if the Premier League is to get yet another additional spot.
If all of the above also happens, that would take England's Champions League contingent for next season to seven: the usual top four, the team in fifth, new Europa League winners Manchester United or Tottenham, and new European champions Aston Villa.
How the Premier League could get three Europa League places
There's always two places up for grabs, with the priority going to the FA Cup winners and the other place going to the next highest-placed side in the Premier League.
If the FA Cup winners are already qualified for Europe through their league position, that Europa League place also travels down the Premier League in the same way.
That guarantees England two Europa League places - but they would get a third if Chelsea were to win the Conference League and finish low enough in the Premier League that they don't qualify for Europe by virtue
There is a big asterisk here, though: UEFA's Champions League regulations (article 3.03, to be precise) and Europa League regulations (articles 3.07 and 3.08) say that if the Champions League, Europa League and/or Conference League winners also qualify for an equivalent or higher UEFA competition through the usual domestic routes, their place in Europe does not pass down the Premier League to the next-best qualifying side.
So if, for instance, Chelsea won the Conference League to claim a Europa League place, but also finished sixth in the Premier League to claim a Europa League spot through their league position, that Europa League place does not pass down the to team in seventh.
So...to get to the theoretical maximum number of clubs, we'd need:
- for Aston Villa to win the Champions League and not win the FA Cup and finish low enough in the Premier League that they don't qualify for Europe through their league position;
- and for either Tottenham or Manchester United to win the Europa League and finish low enough in the Premier League that they don't qualify for Europe through their league position;
- and for Chelsea to win the Conference League and finish low enough in the Premier League that they don't qualify for Europe through their league position.
Sure, simple enough.
And finally, the Conference League
England have one Conference League place, and the EFL Cup winner takes priority for England's Conference League place - so if Newcastle beat Liverpool at Wembley in the final, they will earn that Conference League place.
If the EFL Cup winner has already qualified for the Champions League or Europa League through their league position, the Conference League place passes down the Premier League to the highest-ranked side not qualified for Europe through other means.
Another of those annoying asterisks, though: the Europa League regulations seem to suggest that if that Conference League place landed on Chelsea by virtue of their Premier League position, and they had won the Conference League...the Premier League simply wouldn't be represented in the Conference League next season.
Check it out for yourselves - bearing in mind the Premier League only has one Conference League spot. Article 3.08 says: "If the UEFA Conference League titleholder qualifies for the UEFA Conference League through one of its domestic competitions, the number of places to which its association is entitled in the UEFA Conference League is decreased by one."
How likely is it that England will get all 11 European places?
In case the huge number of 'ifs' and 'ands' above didn't make it clear...pretty unlikely. Aston Villa are only rated 33/1 to win the Champions League, for starters, and them going out of the Champions League would kill off the full complement of 11 right off the bat.
Chelsea are favourites to win the Conference League, while Spurs and Manchester United are the two favourites to win the Europa League - but in knockout competition, those kinds of dreams can quickly go up in smoke.
It seems more likely, then, that the Premier League will have its usual four Champions League places, probably a fifth and maybe a sixth; probably two but maybe three Europa League places; and one Conference League place.
That would put their likely European representation next season somewhere between the usual seven spots and nine spots - but stranger things have happened...
