Will Chelsea be given Champions League place if Liverpool beat Real Madrid?

Clubs who finish in the top four in the Premier League are given a direct entry into the group stages of the Champions League.

The winners of the competition too are awarded a place in the groups, as are the Europa League champions.

With Liverpool finishing fourth, Blues fans had been hopeful that an extra place might open up for them - but will it?

Can Chelsea earn a spot in the Champions League?

The short answer is no. Changes announced in August 2016 meant the top four clubs from the four top-ranked national associations – certain to be Spain, Germany, England and Italy for next season – would go straight into the group stage.

The other spots would then be divvied out to other nations.

Atletico Madrid finished second in La Liga and won the Europa League. It means their automatic berth has been passed to the third-placed team in the national association ranked fifth (France), which is Lyon.

Real Madrid and Liverpool have already qualified for the Champions League next season meaning their automatic berth is passed to the champions of the national association ranked 11th (Czech Republic), which is Viktoria Plzen.

Automatic qualifiers for Champions League

ESP: Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Valencia

GER: Bayern Munich, Schalke, Hoffenheim, Borussia Dortmund

ENG: Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool

ITA: Juventus, Napoli, Roma, Inter Milan

FRA: PSG, Monaco, Lyon

RUS: Lokomotiv Moscow, CSKA Moscow

POR: Porto

UKR: Shakhtar Donetsk

BEL: Club Brugge

TUR: Galatasaray

CZE: Viktoria Plzen

The remaining six places go to the winners of August's play-offs.

Who will be seeded in Champions League?

The champions of the top six associations are placed in Pot 1 together with the Champions League and Europa League winners.

Pot 1: Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Juventus, PSG, Lokomotiv Moscow, Real Madrid or Liverpool