Liverpool travel to Villa Park tonight for their penultimate Premier League game of the season, with fourth and fifth place still to be settled.
Aston Villa are also in the Europa League final, which means there are several moving parts in the Champions League race. Liverpool simply need to take care of their own business, but the wider consequences of this game could be fascinating.
That is especially true when it comes to Bournemouth, who are chasing sixth and still have hopes of sneaking into Europe’s top competition. That could have an impact on Liverpool’s chances of signing Eli Junior Kroupi.
Can you make a better front line to take on Aston Villa? 👀
Liverpool beating Aston Villa could ruin Eli Junior Kroupi chance
Liverpool have been linked with Kroupi, but Bournemouth have made their current stance very clear.
The 19-year-old has had a superb season, and Bournemouth director Tiago Pinto has already insisted he will not be sold this summer. He even claimed the Cherries would not accept a €100m offer from Liverpool or Barcelona.
That should not be taken as a complete shutdown, especially when a club further up the food chain is involved. But Bournemouth’s stance could harden significantly if Liverpool beat Villa on Friday night.
The logic is simple.
If Liverpool win at Villa Park, Villa are likely to finish fifth. If Unai Emery’s side then go on to win the Europa League, they would qualify for the Champions League through that route.
Because England already has an extra Champions League place through the league table, sixth place could then inherit a spot in the competition.
Right now, that is very likely to be Bournemouth.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  ArsenalArsenal | 36 | 24 | 7 | 5 | 68 | 26 | 42 | 79 |
| 2 |  Manchester CityManchester City | 36 | 23 | 8 | 5 | 75 | 32 | 43 | 77 |
| 3 |  Manchester UnitedManchester United | 36 | 18 | 11 | 7 | 63 | 48 | 15 | 65 |
| 4 |  LiverpoolLiverpool | 36 | 17 | 8 | 11 | 60 | 48 | 12 | 59 |
| 5 |  Aston VillaAston Villa | 36 | 17 | 8 | 11 | 50 | 46 | 4 | 59 |
| 6 |  BournemouthBournemouth | 36 | 13 | 16 | 7 | 56 | 52 | 4 | 55 |
| 7 |  BrightonBrighton | 36 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 52 | 42 | 10 | 53 |
So by beating Villa, Liverpool would boost their own top-four hopes, but also potentially improve Bournemouth’s chances of playing Champions League football next season.
If Bournemouth are in the Champions League, they have a much stronger case to keep their best young players for another year. Kroupi would have a platform, regular football, and no urgent reason to force a move away.
If Villa beat Liverpool, the picture changes.
Villa could move into fourth, Liverpool would likely finish fifth and still qualify for the Champions League themselves, and crucially, sixth would not carry the same reward.
That would leave Bournemouth in a weaker position.
Should Curtis Jones keep his place at right-back against Aston Villa?
Or is Joe Gomez a better option?
Obviously, Liverpool are not going to think about any of this when the whistle blows. Nor should they. They need to beat Aston Villa and secure their own place in the Champions League, but it will be interesting to see just how far the consequences of this game stretch.
A win could help Liverpool in the table, while quietly making one of their summer transfer targets even harder to get.
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