Tottenham in a frustrating fight for seat at top table

IT might not be clear until April or even May if Tottenham's visit to Aston Villa on Sunday is a six-pointer for Champions League football or a less significant occasion altogether.

- Dan Kilpatrick

The Premier League are guaranteed at least four representatives in the revamped 36-team competition next season, but two of England, Germany and Italy are set to be awarded an extra place in the competition by UEFA, based on club coefficients.

In short, if English clubs outdo their German or Italian counterparts in Europe this spring, fifth place will be enough for Champions League football.

With Manchester United struggling for consistency and trailing fifth-placed Spurs by six points, having played a game more, the top five already appears well-set.

The lack of certainty feels strange and unsatisfactory because it is unclear if Spurs and Villa are in the midst of a tense battle for one spot in the top-four - although Ange Postecoglou has bristled at the suggestion his side are only competing for fourth-or involved in something of a procession.

Sunday's game could be decisive, perhaps even a sliding-doors occasion for one or both clubs, or it may come to feel largely irrelevant.