How Arsenal and Liverpool’s Champions League draw hands...

ENGLISH teams have been handed a boost in the race for an extra Champions League spot following the quarter-final draw. Arsenal, Liverpool and Aston Villa are the three remaining English teams in Europe's premier competition after Manchester City were knocked out by Real Madrid.

Image Credit: The Sun [Mikel Arteta, Arsenal manager, at a match.]

The trio have been pulled out on the same side of the draw which means Liverpool could take on Villa, and one of those two sides could face the Gunners in the semi-final. That means each team could pick up a win in the Round of 16 to boost England's co-efficient ranking.

Image Credit: The Sun [Arne Slot, Liverpool's manager, smiling.]

England currently lead the rankings with 106.6 points, with Italy second on 93.4 and Spain third on 89.1 - an extra Champions League place will be awarded to the top two countries. But with two Spanish sides drawn against each other in the next round - Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, there will be fewer opportunities for Spain to win points.

Image Credit: The Sun [Champions League tournament bracket.]

Germany, who are fourth in the co-efficient rankings, face the same issue after Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen were drawn to face each other. However, with Borussia Dortmund in the same half of the draw there could still be an all-German semi-final - just as there could be an all-English semi-final.

And while there is no prospect of an all-Spanish semi-final, Real Madrid or Atletico and Barcelona could all reach the last four, on different sides of the draw. However for Spain to overtake England in the rankings they would likely need one of their clubs to win the Champions League, and hope English sides do not reach the latter stages.

CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS. The points earned by clubs from the same domestic league are added up and divided by the number of clubs the league has in Europe - England and Spain have seven while Italy has eight. This season, bonus points are available to clubs playing in the Champions League, so England have an advantage with three teams left, particularly as Liverpool could play Villa in the quarter-final to guarantee at least one English club in the semis.

Manchester United, Tottenham and Chelsea also remain in European competition so could boost England's co-efficient ranking further. If England are awarded an additional place, that would mean FIVE teams in the Champions League next season. That extra place would be handed to the team finishing fifth in the Premier League - currently Bournemouth.